You've taken my heart by storm
by dream2bawrtr
Summary: Christian was in his private jet, when Mia called to inform him of the horrific news. He had to go to the hospital right away! So he did and when he arrived, who does he encounter there? Well, his very first love of course. The love of his life... A woman named Anastasia Steele.
1. Love, hurt, hate, sadness, anger

**I do not own Fifty shades Trilogy**

* * *

 **You've taken my heart by storm**

 **First chapter**

 **Love, hurt, hate, sadness, anger**

xxx [[[]]] xxx

 _Hi, you all! This story is set in an alternate universe, where Ana is an engineer. Christian became CEO of the company, after his father retired. He took over the family business from Carrick._

 _Summary: Christian was in his private jet, when Mia called to inform him of the horrific news. He had to go to the hospital right away! So he did and when he arrived, who does he encounter? Well, his very first love of course. The love of his life..._

 _I really hope you enjoy reading this. Because I sure enjoyed writing it. :)_

 _And don't forget to tell me what you think about chapter 1._

* * *

At the moment, Ana was sitting on her bed reading her favorite magazine. It was then, when she received that awful news.

Mia had sent her a text message that made her skin crawl. No… not him! Why?

She immediately replied to said text. That's when Mia called Ana and told her what exactly happened...

Ana had just come home from work after a very stressful day, but the news was far worse than her day had gone.

She has been living for 9 years in New York, the beautiful apartment she lived in was on the 21th floor of her building. Currently she works as an engineer/ VP of Engineering for one of the biggest IT companies in the world.

According to her boss he's extremely lucky to have her, because Ana kept the whole company running with her brilliance and ingenuity.

On paper she was VP of engineering, but apart from leading and managing the engineers, Ana also did engineering work herself.

She had built a good life in New York, but at the moment she was pretty much single. Ana's work was swallowing all of her time and when she got home, she mostly only slept and ate dinner.

Alone. All alone…

A little sleep, and the next day she was off to work again. In the past years she dated some men, but Ana never agreed to a second date with any of them.

Her job didn't allow long lasting relationships, because she was mostly at work. Even when she was home, Ana brought work with her.

She had this laptop, one that Ana loved with all her heart. All her schematics and little 'inventions' were on said precious laptop. It was an old one, but Ana just loved the damned thing, refusing to purchase another.

(It had been a birthday gift from someone who meant a lot to Ana still, the reason why she didn't want to replace it)

As a sigh escaped her plump pink lips, Ana's mind drifted off to the call she received from Mia Grey. She had called to tell Ana that their friend Luke Sawyer was involved in a terrible accident and was in critical condition right now.

Ana had left Seattle 9 years ago and vowed to never ever go back!

However, Mia had begged her to come and see Luke, because he had been asking for Ana.

After ending said phone conversation, Ana felt so torn. She desperately wanted to visit Luke at the hospital, but she really couldn't go back there.

Ana just could not...

'I can't. I want to for Luke, but I'm scared out of my mind… my heart wont able to handle seeing _**him**_ there…' were the words that bounced inside her skull.

Him, who?

As her eyes fluttered shut for a few moments, her mind drifted off to the one person she had blocked from her heart for 9 long years.

Christian Grey…

A sigh escaped her lips, while Ana's mind was being plagued by Christian's beautiful gray eyes…

She then attempted to get rid of that image, and got up from her bed. Ana walked towards her balcony, and stood there, her eyes plastered on a spot in front of her.

Ana admired the amazing view over New York City, as an internal battle raged inside of her.

Should she go back to Seattle?

Or not?

Ana wasn't sure what to do. Though her head told her yes, her heart on the other hand told her 'no!'

Fear of getting hurt again like last time was the thing that kept Ana from packing her bags right away, and jump into the next plane to Seattle.

However, said fear was nothing compared to the love and friendship she felt for Luke. He was one of her best friends since high school and Ana cared a lot about him. So, she couldn't not go visit him at the hospital… Right?

At that, Ana immediately called her boss and told him that she needed to go back home for 1 whole week. He yelled in her ears off course, saying that their company was going up in flames without her.

However, Ana assured him that they would manage… it was only for one week.

"Who died?!" he shouted in her ear, making Ana roll her eyes at him, although she knew that he couldn't see her.

"No one died, Jack." Ana told him. "I've got a family emergency though… I need this. You know me, I would never ask if it weren't important. You know that, right?"

After complaining for five full minutes, her boss finally agreed to let her go, because Ana threatened to take her long overdue vacation, if he refused.

Ha! She was one clever woman, that Ana…

She then packed her bags, left the apartment and walked into the elevator. After a couple of minutes, she was downstairs in the lobby. Ana said goodbye to a couple of her neighbors and waited for her employee who also happened to be her good friend here in New York.

Ana didn't bring a lot, just 3 bags and her trolley. As she waited patiently, Ana sent a text message to Mia to inform her what time her plane will be landing. Ana had just finished sending said message, when her good friend arrived to help her carry her bags to the cab.

After giving Ashley a kiss on the cheek and said good bye to her, Ana slid inside the car. Her friend cried and told Ana to come back as soon as possible.

"Come back soon, girl. I don't know if the company will be intact, when you get back. So please don't stay longer than one week, OK?" Ashley said, while squeezing her hand tightly. "You've been warned, Anastasia Steele!"

At that, Ana smiled. "The company and you guys will be just fine without me." she replied, and winked at Ashley." Its not that I'm irreplaceable, you know."

"Ana, you know damn well that you _are_ irreplaceable!" Ashley stated, while placing a hand on her hip.

"I'm gonna miss you. Bye, sweetie..." Ana said and waved, when the driver started the cab.

Ashley sighed deeply, and waved back. "I'm gonna miss you too." she whispered, and then walked back where she had left her car.

xxx

Like usual, it was quite busy at the airport. Ana got into the plane and sat comfortably in business class. The wine and food tasted wonderfully. After dinner, she closed her eyes while comfortably leaning in her seat, her mind automatically drifting off to Christian again.

Nine years... She hadn't seen him for 9 long years.

Ana's heart broke every time she thought of him. Christian was a good person, a great guy. And what she did was awful and unforgivable, but she had no other choice. She did all of it, because Christian's life was in danger. Everything Ana had done was for him… the love of her life. As a stubborn tear rolled down her cheek, Ana thought of the life she could have led if fate hadn't been so cruel.

What happened that Saturday evening, 9 years ago was the best thing that happened to her. However, the following night someone visited Ana and begged her to leave Seattle. Said person told her that Christian couldn't be with her.

Ana and Christian couldn't and shouldn't be together…

God, she wasn't sure if her heart could take, seeing Christian again after all these years.

Will she be able to handle it?

How will he act towards her?

'God, he must hate me!' was what bounced inside her skull right now.

As a sigh escaped her lips, Ana decided to stop thinking about him.

Instead of staying at a hotel while she was in Seattle, Ana was going to use her old bedroom. At first Ana refused, but Carla insisted and was as stubborn as her daughter.

So, she had no choice than agree to it. Sleeping in her old bed was not something Ana looked forward to. However, she did look forward to be spending some time with her own mother...

As she almost drifted off to dreamland in the comfortable airplane seat, Ana thought of her life before New York.

She did have a good life with her parents and friends, before she left Seattle. However, something happened that ended her happy life with all of them.

Ana was taken out of her thoughts by the flight attended who asked if she needed something.

"No, thank you. I'm good." Ana replied.

As the blonde woman walked towards another passenger, Ana thought about Kate's invitation. She had called Ana and told her that she had planned an all-girls slumber party. That sounded like fun, but the first thing Ana wanted to do was visit Luke at the hospital.

God, she really missed Luke and the others. Ana hadn't realized just how much until now.

'I'm so looking forward to seeing them again after all these years.' Ana thought, while the plane landed.

At that, Ana got up from her seat. As she walked out the airport, her heart thumped wildly against her chest. While a huge lump formed in her throat, Ana hailed a taxi.

As her eyes scanned the familiar surroundings, Ana all of a sudden felt so overwhelmed, the feeling almost too much to bear.

She was back in Seattle… Oh, God… She was home.

xxx [[[]]] xxx

Christian was in his private jet, when he received the call from Mia. He just finished his business trip in Japan and was on his way home. During the call, his little sister was sobbing and told him the horrible news. He had to go to the hospital right away! His best friend Luke was involved in a terrible accident. The first thing he did was call Taylor to come pick him up at the airport.

After Christian's dad retired a few years ago, he had become CEO of their company. Said company flourished and was at the moment at its peak! All thanks to Christian of course.  
As he looked out the window of the limo, Christian's mind drifted off to his life right now...  
He lived all alone in a huge villa, one he had built for his wife Leila.  
However, 4 years ago she had passed away...  
With Leila, Christian didn't have any children.  
After his wife's death he dated a lot of women. However, they all had been flings. Nothing serious...

As the tall hospital came into view from a distance, Christian let out a deep breath.  
Was he going to see her?! Was she going to visit Luke at the hospital?  
Christian knew that the answer to those questions was 'yes' and yet nothing could ever prepare him for his encounter with her...  
Who?  
Well, his very first love of course… the love of his life: a young woman named Anastasia Steele...

Even though he hadn't seen her in 9 years, he hadn't forgotten about Ana.

From his sources, Christian was informed that Ana had become very successful. And she knew that he had taken over his father's place as CEO, because 2 years ago he sent an invitation to Ana.

Christian had asked her to come and visit him at his company, but one of her employees called him and declined said invitation.

Ashley told Christian that Ana was too busy with work.

She did send him an email though, congratulating him on his success.

Though Ana refused any contact with him, Christian tried hard to mend their relationship. They weren't a couple anymore, but before they became said couple, he and Ana were very good friends… since they met in kindergarten.

So, when Christian lost his wife 4 years ago, he asked Mia to inform Ana about his wife's death. He thought that Ana would attend the funeral. However, she didn't.

When Christian needed her the most, Ana just refused to come and see him. After the funeral he tried calling Ana a few times, but not once did she pick up her phone.

As it dawned on him that Ana deliberately ignored his phone calls, Christian threw his phone against the wall at the time…

'Who the fuck was that?' he wondered, as he attempted to calm himself down.

Was that woman really Ana?! Was that woman the same woman he loved and worshipped 9 years ago? No… she had changed for some reason… But why?!

Christian could not for the life of him understand who Ana had become…

He was roughly taken out of his thoughts though by Taylor's voice.

"We've arrived at the hospital, Mr. Grey."

xxx [[[]]] xxx

At the moment Christian was in the hospital, impatiently waiting for the nurse to tell him when he could go up to see Luke. After 10 minutes, the nurse gave him permission. As the elevator went up, he nervously tapped on the wall.

When he reached the eight floor, the elevator slid open. Christian stepped out, and let out a deep breath. When he reached the hallway, his heart nearly jumped out of his chest. It was in that moment, when Christian noticed who was standing in the middle of the hall.

Oh God! It was her… Ana.

He panicked and almost turned on his heel to flee. However in that moment, she turned her pretty head, locking her eyes onto Christian's.

As their eyes met, Ana instantly froze for a split second. And although her head told her to make a run for it, her heart told her legs to do the opposite!

Stubborn heart!

As Christian watched Ana, not for one moment unlocking his gaze on her, she automatically walked towards him.

Damn legs! They had a mind of their own!

As Christian's eyes scanned Ana's appearance, his heart exploded in his chest…

God! She was still so gorgeous, just like he remembered…

Ana was wearing a blue-black dress that clung to her every curve. Her shiny hair was in a ponytail, her bangs falling lovely over her pretty face.

She looked absolutely breathtaking!

A sigh escaped her pink lips, as Ana reached Christian.

At the moment, she was standing right in front of him. Christian's heart had kicked up 3 notches, as he attempted to act nonchalantly towards her.

But as her sweet, familiar scent invaded his nostrils, all the memories came rushing back, moving like a whirlwind through his mind.

At a certain point, Christian's heart wasn't able to contain all those intense feelings inside of him.

Love, hurt, hate, sadness, anger… It was too overwhelming.

And then there were her eyes… those were Christian's weakness. She still looked at him like she used to.

As the seconds crept by, Ana and Christian stood there in the hallway of the hospital. A pair of gray eyes and a pair of blue ones, locked onto one another, while both people stayed silent.

Not a single word had left either's lips...

Fortunately, after a few minutes, Ana found the courage to say something. "Christian…"

As his name tumbled from her lips, Christian's eyes automatically fluttered shut. After a few seconds though, he opened his eyes.

"Ana…" He said softly, saying her name like it was a prayer.

Ana thought that after 9 years, she would be able to control her emotions when meeting Christian Grey.

Well, clearly she was mistaken. Ana also thought that he wouldn't have an effect on her anymore. But, God she was so freaking wrong!

When Ana heard Christian say her name, her head instantly told her to turn around and run!

However, her body and heart needed her to be close to him. So she boldly stayed in her spot, in front of Christian. Ana couldn't find the strength to tear her eyes away from him.

He was just as handsome as she remembered…

Ana usually had no trouble keeping her emotions in check, but Christian made it very difficult for her without even knowing it.

She was just about to tell him how much she had missed him, when they both noticed someone opening Luke's hospital door.

It was the nurse. "Christian Grey, you can come in now." She announced.

He instantly broke eye contact with Ana, and walked into the hospital room.

There she stood, alone in the hallway... alone again. Ana then took a seat in one of the chairs, and waited.

However, after barely five minutes, Ana noticed Mia and Kate walking up to her. She immediately got up from the chair and received hugs and kisses from those two. They were very excited to see Ana after all this time.

"Hey, aren't you gonna see him?" Mia asked.

"Christian is inside the room…" Ana replied.

Ana and the two girls knew that Christian was going to take his time, so they took a seat and began talking about their lives.

"Do you have a boyfriend in New York, Ana?" Mia asked.

Ana shook her head at that. "Nope, I don't have a boyfriend right now." She replied.

At that, Kate and Mia both gave her a certain look.

"What?" Ana asked.

"Is it because of him? You never did get over Christian, did you?" Kate asked, and raised an eyebrow.

"Wha.. what? No, you're so wrong. I'm totally over him, Kate." Ana lied, but they both knew that.

Mia was just about to say something, when the nurse walked in their direction.

"Anastasia Steele… you can see the patient now…" the older woman announced.

"Go on." Mia said, and squeezed Ana's hand lightly for encouragement.

Ana let out a deep breath and nodded.

Luke…

Her hands trembled heavily at the thought.

Oh, God! She was terrified for her friend… Her heart rammed against her rib cage, as Ana walked inside Luke's room.

She swallowed the lump in her throat, when she noticed Christian sitting motionless in a chair, staring at a spot, while tears pooled in his gray eyes…

So heart breaking to see...

Kate had told Ana that Luke's accident was a very bad one… one of the worst. As she reached the hospital bed, a soft sob escaped her lips.

Her childhood friend was lying unconscious in the bed, his face unrecognizable.

Ana's heart bled for Luke at that moment, while her tears ran uncontrollably down her cheeks.

There were tubes all over his face, both his legs were in a cast and his whole body was covered in bandages.

At that very moment Ana felt extremely guilty, because Luke had been calling her every month for the past 9 years, asking when they could meet up. But Ana always made up an excuse, saying that she was too busy at work.

"I'm so sorry, Luke…" she apologized, while attempting to push her endless tears back.

At a certain point, Ana took a seat next to Christian.

He still sat there motionless, and didn't even look at her…

As Ana studied Christian's face, she noticed how difficult it was for him.

Luke was his best friend, one Christian couldn't lose. _That_ , Ana was certain of.

So, in an attempt to comfort him, Ana all of a sudden took Luke's hand in hers and carefully grabbed Christian's hand with her right one.

Christian sucked in a breath, as he felt the warmth of Ana's skin on his, almost wanting to tear his hand away from hers.

But then Ana squeezed both hands and looked at Christian with pleading eyes.

Just like they used to, since the three of them were in kindergarten, Ana held their hands in hers, squeezing them gently to show them both how much she cared.

One was her good friend and the other was the man she still loved with all her heart.

The man who— when she was 16, had taken her heart by storm…

* * *

 **Note: Thank you all for reading! So... hit me with your thoughts, you guys. ;)**

 **Leave me a review, short or long? :)**

 **J**


	2. What did you just say!

**I do not own Fifty Shades Trilogy**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

 **What did you just say?!**

xxx [[[]]] xxx

* * *

The nurse had told Ana that Luke couldn't talk, but he could hear. So she told him about her new life in New York. From time to time, Christian and Ana noticed how Luke's eyes fluttered.

Was he reacting to what Ana was saying?!

'Amazing.' Was what Christian thought then.

After a while though, Ana said goodbye to Luke and promised him to be back the next day to chat with him some more.

When she walked out of the hospital room, silent tears flowed down Ana's cheeks. She had never seen Luke this way. He was always healthy, happy and so full of life. Now he looked so broken and vulnerable… so heart breaking.

It cut right through Ana's heart and soul, seeing her childhood friend this way.

Sweet Luke…

Ana contemplated what to do next, as she stood in the hallway again. Should she wait for Christian?

Or should she take the easy way out and disappear without having a chat with him? Ana honestly didn't know which option to pick.

 **~ Meanwhile. ~**

As Christian watched his best friend, his heart ached tremendously. He let go of Luke's hand after a while and promised him that he was going to come back.

"Tomorrow, OK buddy? Tomorrow, I'll be back." Christian whispered and smiled at his dear friend.

He then got up from his seat and was just about to walk out the room, when he noticed her in the hallway…

A sigh escaped his lips, as Christian looked through the glass door, watching her.

Ana…

She was still in the hallway.

When she grabbed his hand and Luke's not so long ago, Christian had difficulty with the huge lump in his throat. It was like she never left...

Ana used to do that a lot, when they were teenagers. The act felt familiar and so strange at the same time...

His eyes was still fixed on her, so he noticed Ana taking a seat in one of the chairs outside the hospital room. Was Ana waiting for him? Did she want to talk? And if she wanted to chat with him, was he ready to do so?

At the moment Christian was so torn… Oh, he wanted… needed to be close to Ana, and he craved to smell her wonderful scent… However, he was still very hurt. He had never gotten over the fact that she left without a word. Was he strong enough to face Ana again though? Was he?

Christian stood motionless at his spot, while watching Ana through the glass door. It was then, when his mind drifted off to that Saturday evening, 9 years ago.

 ** _*FLASHBACK*_**

 _Christian had their date perfectly planned out. His day began with calling Ana and telling her that he loved her and that she was the most beautiful girl in the world. Ana giggled and said that he was acting all crazy, but she did say it back._

 _Christian then called the restaurant to confirm their reservation and also called the club for their VIP tickets. Ana wanted to attend the VIP party, so he bought the tickets without telling her._

 _It was a surprise._

 _Everything was set perfectly for the evening._

 _Next on his list was to go to 'the store'. He bought what he had been eyeing for 5 months now. The ring was made of 18 Karat white gold and was extremely beautiful._

 _In the center of it, the diamond heart was cut to perfect proportion. It was very expensive, but Christian wanted the best for his only girl.._

 _Ana deserved the very best of everything, was his opinion._

 _As a sigh escaped his lips, Christian smiled, content that his plans for the evening went accordingly._

 _His mother had lent him the money and Christian promised to give it all back to her, as soon as he received his trust fund money after a year and a half._

 _(He had inherited the money from his grandparents)_

 _It was a good thing that Grace liked Ana. At least one of his parents did..._

 _Christian's father didn't approve of him being involved with Ana though. And yet Christian decided to execute his plan… he wanted to marry Ana one day._

 _The black velvet box was burning in his pocket, as Christian nervously waited for the time to arrive. It was 6:30 PM, when he decided to get ready. At 7:15 PM on the dot, Christian slid behind the wheel of his Porsche and drove to Ana's house._

 _Carla opened the front door and let him in. She offered Christian something to drink, but he was too nervous so he declined._

 _As Christian waited for Ana, he anxiously tapped on the glass coffee table. The second Ana came down the stairs, his heart swelled gloriously. She was wearing a little black dress that showed off her every curve. It was strapless and had a low decollete._

 _Ana wore black pumps and her shiny, dark brown hair was framing her beautiful face._

 _She looked absolutely stunning!_

 _As Christian gawked at Ana, Carla chuckled. "Can you close your mouth and wipe the drool off of your lips, Christian?"_

 _He cleared his throat and apologized. "Sorry, Mrs. Steele."_

 _Ana giggled and said. "Awww, don't tease him, mom."_

 _When she reached the last step of the stairs, Christian smiled widely and offered Ana his hand._

" _Shall we, sweetie?" he said._

 _Ana nodded and walked hand in hand with Christian out the front door._

" _Have a nice evening, you two!" they heard Ana's mom say._

" _We will." Christian replied. "Thanks, Mrs. Steele."_

 _The whole drive to the restaurant, Christian couldn't take his eyes off of her. Ana just smiled shyly and sang along to the radio._

 _The song: 'The rose' by Westlife was playing._

 _Christian was so nervous, anxiously waiting for the right time... He hadn't decided yet, where he was going to give it to her. At the restaurant, at the club or at home?_

 _Christian wasn't sure about it._

 _They arrived at the restaurant and had a very nice dinner. The food was very delicious. Ana and Christian ate and talked about their future. After MIT, she had planned to apply to different IT companies in and near Seattle._

 _Christian on the other hand, wanted to study art, after college._

 _(Little did he know his father was going to retire early and leave their family business to Christian.)_

 _They both decided to get their own apartment and live together. Their future looked very bright at that moment. Nothing was going to come in between them._

 _Nothing!_

 _Or so he thought…_

 _After dinner, Christian and Ana went to the club. They danced for a couple of hours, had drinks and enjoyed the party a lot. After the party, Christian and Ana drove home._

 _Carla was gone for the whole weekend, so they were very happy of the fact that they had the house to themselves..._

 _As Christian opened the door of the car, his heart rammed against his chest. He helped her out and grabbed her petite hand lovingly. They walked to the front door and talked about their evening._

 _Ana told him that she had an amazing time. They were barely inside, when she started kissing Christian all over. With the last strength he had, he miraculously pulled away from her. He didn't want things to go too far yet, because he still had something very important to do first._

 _Christian had something to give Ana…_

 _When he pulled away from the kiss though, Ana smirked naughtily and assumed that Christian was just teasing her, playing hard to get. She grabbed his face again and kissed him hungrily, giving Christian no choice than to just kiss her back with just as much force._

 _They ended up on the couch, Ana on top of Christian. However, when she took off of his jacket, Christian moaned softly._

 _"Stop, please baby. Stop." He pleaded._

 _As his words reached her ears, Ana looked at him, her eyes wide. There was definitely disappointment in those blue eyes, as she got off of Christian's lap._

 _Ana silently sat next to him on the couch, her lips trembling._

 _"What is it, babe? What's wrong?" Ana asked, really hurt._

 _Her eyes had welled up, but Christian shook his head. He gently cupped her face and made eye contact with Ana._

 _"Hey, nothing's wrong sweetie. Before we go that far, I wanted to ask you something first. " Christian said softly. "And if the answer is yes, I would like you to accept something from me."_

 _At the moment he was beaming, while locking eyes with her._

 _He was a bit nervous also, but decided to gather his courage._

 _"Okay, well don't keep me waiting too long. I want you tonight, Christian. "Ana said with a seductive tone "I can't wait any longer, baby."_

 _Christian so wanted to kiss those plump red lips of hers, but fortunately he still had a bit of control left._

 _He let out a deep breath and grabbed his jacket off of the floor. As his fingers took out the black velvet box, Christian locked eyes with her once more. He took a seat next to her on the couch and opened the box. While doing so, Ana's eyes widened, her hand over her mouth._

 _Tears started to pool in her eyes, her face turned red and before Christian could ask her anything, those tears rolled down her gorgeous face._

 _"Anastasia Steele, I fell in love with you during the summer we both were grounded and our friends went to have their vacation without us. We spent that whole summer together and I hopelessly fell in love with you. You complete me in every way. I want to share every moment of my life with you and I promise to take care of you. I will never make you cry and I promise to never ever leave you. I promise to be with you for life, till the day I die."_

 _Christian's hands were shaking uncontrollably, as he waited impatiently for her answer. All of a sudden, he felt insecure. He was terrified that she was going to say no._

 _However, Ana's eyes darted from his face to the ring and then back to Christian's eyes…_

 _As his heart thumped wildly against his rib cage, Christian boldly said those 5 words._

 _"Will you marry me, Ana?"_

 ** _*End of FLASHBACK*_**

Christian was taken out of his thoughts by Mia.

"Christian!" She said. "Hello… earth to Christian"

She had repeatedly called his name, but he didn't hear her.

He finally looked up, when his little sister shook him lightly on his upper arm.

"Huh?! What?" Christian said, and saw Mia looking at him with a smirk on her face.

"Are you alright, Christian?" Mia asked curiously.

"Huh? Uhmmm, yess. I'm OK, sis..." He replied, and walked out the hospital room.

When he reached the hall, Christian noticed that Ana was talking to Kate.

As he kept observing Ana, Christian mentally kicked himself. She didn't even give him a glance... Ana just kept talking to Kate. At one point Christian got angry at himself...

Why was he still obsessing over Ana?!

"Christian, are you ready to go?" his sister asked, while tugging lightly on his arm.

He nodded and decided to take it cool. Ana didn't have to know that she still had an effect on him. As a sigh escaped his lips, Christian shut his eyes for a second, telling himself to keep his emotions in check.

After opening his eyes, he and Mia then talked about Luke, while walking in the direction where Ana and Kate were. When he and Mia reached the spot where the two were, Christian couldn't help himself…

As his eyes locked on Ana's again, his breath caught in his throat. Oh, God! Christian didn't realize how much he had missed her until now...

He had the sudden urge to pull her in a tight embrace, but that was something he didn't allowed himself to do.

Why? He honestly wasn't sure…

Even if he was angry at her, he will always care about her.

No matter what, Christian will never forget how it used to be between him, Luke and Ana…

One time, Ana had even saved Luke and Christian's life… He'd always be thankful for that. That's why he could never hate her… apart from the fact that they used to be a couple from the age of 17 till 21, Ana was his friend first and foremost.

Well, she used to be…

"So… Are we gonna grab something to eat?" Kate asked, looking at Christian and then at Ana.

"Yeah, sure." Ana replied, while avoiding Christian's gaze.

"Uhummm... Yes. Let's go." Christian responded and nodded.

It was then, when Kate and Mia looked at each other for a moment." OK, Christian... Why don't you give Ana a ride, and I'll go with Kate." Mia suggested, while attempting to hide a smirk on her pretty face.

"Yes, that's a great idea! We'll meet you 2 at the restaurant." Kate replied and grabbed Mia, while they walked away from Christian and Ana without even looking back at either one of them.

"But, I…" Christian and Ana both tried to protest.

However, the two were already out of sight, hastily turning round the corner.

Ana bit her bottom lip and sighed deeply.

"OK, they totally did that on purpose." Christian accused, his voice soft.

"Yeah, that's an understatement." Ana replied dryly.

At that, Christian agreed and locked eyes with her." Shall we?" he asked, wanting to sound nonchalantly but his voice failed him.

"Uhumm, yeah... Let's go." Ana replied, and avoided his gaze.

'I'm so gonna kill Kate and Mia for this!' were the words that bounced inside her skull, while following Christian down the hall and out the hospital.

xxx [[[]]] xxx

Like they used to, Christian opened the car door for Ana, when they reached the limo. Her eyes instantly landed on Taylor, as Ana slid inside the car. She smiled and so did he.

"Ana, this is Taylor my bodyguard and Taylor this is Anastasia Steel. "Christian said, introducing the two.

"Nice to meet you, Taylor. "Ana replied, and smiled at him.

He nodded, as they shook hands. "Likewise, Miss. So… you are Ana…I've heard so much about you. You're the one who broke Christian's heart." Taylor said without blinking.

(He wasn't just Christian's security detail; Taylor was a friend also)

As those words reached her ears, Ana turned her face the other way, because she got very uncomfortable.

Christian gave Taylor a disapproving look and cleared his throat. "Shall we go, Taylor?" he demanded, while glaring at him.

"Yes, of course." Taylor replied and told the driver to start the limo.

Christian then told the driver their destination, while avoiding Ana's gaze.

She silently sat in the car and couldn't help but think about the handsome man who sat next to her…

As his oh so familiar scent invaded her nostrils, Ana's eyes automatically fluttered shut for a moment.

Even after all these years, Christian was still able to make her heart flutter in her chest.… And Ana still cared so much about him. Just like she did 9 years ago.

Or maybe more… was that possible though?

God, she was in deep shit right now… crap!

xxx

"We've arrived at the restaurant." Ana heard Taylor say, after approximately ten minutes.

Christian sighed in relief, because he couldn't stand the silence and tension between him and Ana any longer. Christian stepped out first and then gave Ana a hand. She accepted the gesture and gave him a small smile.

"You two have fun…" Taylor said, and gave Christian a 'look'.

He ignored it though and closed the limo door.

As they stepped into the restaurant, Ana's phone rang. She pulled it out her bag and furrowed her brows, when she read 'private'.

"Uhumm, I have to get this. Why uhmm… will you tell the others that I'm just gonna take this one call?" she asked, her eyes locked on Christian's. .

He nodded. "Sure…" he replied, and walked towards the table where Kate and Mia were seated.

Ana wondered who it could be, and answered the phone call. "Hello, this is Ana."

"Miss Steele… What are you doing back in Seattle?!"

Ana huffed, while her heart rate increased exponentially. "Mr. Grey, I'm here because of Luke..."

"You have to go back to New York now, Miss Steele…" he ordered.

"I really don't need this… You've bullied me once before, when I was younger. I barely turned 21. But you know what? I'm no longer that scared little girl… You won't be able to do that again, you know." Ana said, the tone of her voice so cold it would put the coldest winter to shame.

The person on the other side of the line was about to reply, but it was then when Ana ended the phone conversation.

At that moment, Ana was shaking like a leaf from anger… She was outraged! How dare he?! She turned around and was just about to walk at their table, when Ana saw Carrick Grey sitting in a chair with a paper in hand.

Ana clenched her small hands into fists, and blankly stared at Christian's father. "OK, you wanna talk, Mr. Grey?" she said firmly. "Then let's talk, but not here. But let me tell the others first that I can't join them..."

Without waiting for his reply, Ana walked towards the table where Christian, Kate and Mia were seated. The restaurant was huge, and their table was all the way in the other corner.

"Hey, Ana! Finally... come and sit next to me." Mia exclaimed, while a sincere smile played at her lips.

"Uhumm, you guys. I have to be somewhere." Ana said, and gave the others an apologetic look. "Mia, Kate I'll call you later, OK? I really gotta go now. So sorry, you guys…"

"But…" Mia began, but Ana was already walking in the direction of the exit.

Christian's little sister looked extremely disappointed, and sighed. "Well, I thought she was gonna join us…" she softly said, while playing with the bread stick on her plate.

At that, Christian shook his head. "She's freaking unbelievable!" he hissed, and had a very disapproving look on his handsome face.

"Hey, don't do that. Don't act like you know what goes on in her life right now…" Mia said.

Christian huffed and took a swig from his drink. "Defend her all you want, Mia. But she has changed so much." He said, the tone of his voice cold and bitter. "I don't think I know Ana anymore… and honestly, I do not want to either…"

At that, Mia shook her head. "I can't believe this. You're never gonna forgive her, are you?" She asked, sounding very annoyed. "I thought time heels wounds, but you've gotten so bitter, Christian. Why don't you ask Ana why she did what she did, nine years ago? I bet a hundred bucks that she has a very good reason for it."

"Mia, you've always taken her side…" Christian began, but Kate cut him off.

"Hey, hey. We're not gonna fight here. OK?" Kate said in a hushed tone, and looked at Mia then Christian. "Luke still needs us and he wouldn't want us to fight… Right?!"

At that the two siblings agreed and both nodded.

 **~Meanwhile~**

Ana was seated next to Carrick Grey in his limo, and stayed silent the whole ride. After 15 minutes, they stepped out of the car and stood next to each other, both looking in the same direction.

"Like I said over the phone, you have to leave immediately." Christian's father demanded, his gaze still fixed on a particular spot ahead.

Ana huffed and shook her head." Unbelievable! You only want to get rid of me, so Christian doesn't find out what you've done 9 years ago." She accused. "I can't believe you are his father… but thank God Christian's nothing like you!"

"You don't know what you're talking about…" he hissed, and clenched his jaw.

"In case you haven't noticed, your son's wife passed away." She pointed out. "And her criminal stepfather is in jail, since two weeks ago. Christian's life is no longer in danger, Mr. Grey! Leila's stepfather doesn't have any power over you anymore!"

Her voice trembled as she spoke, the anger evident on Ana's face.

Carrick finally turned his face and looked at her. "Yes, that crazy woman is dead. But do you know why and how? Do you want me to tell you?" he said, while glaring at her. "She was murdered, Anastasia! She didn't commit suicide like everyone, including my son thinks! And as for her stepfather… he may be in jail, but he still has the power to give orders and let others do his dirty deeds for him. He still has power over me, Miss Steele!"

Ana looked at Carrick with wide eyes. "Are you telling me that you think Leila didn't commit suicide, and you haven't told Christian about it?!" she spat.

"My son doesn't need to know! He'll only snoop around and cause more problems." Carrick replied.

Ana rolled her eyes at him. "You mean, you're afraid Christian will find out what you've done 9 years ago?! That's what you mean, right?"

"Everything I had done was for him! My son… my flesh and blood." he stated. "It's because of me that he's CEO of our company now! If I hadn't done what I did 9 years ago, my son wouldn't be here right now…"

At that, Ana gave Carrick a disgusted look. "You're so selfish…" she pointed out. "You think you're so noble, but don't forget that I know you caused it all!"

"Be careful with your words, Anastasia." He warned.

Ana had enough and clenched her hands into fists. "I don't need to hear this! You know what… I don't give a damn anymore!" she shouted, her voice shaky. "I'm gonna tell Christian what you did. I'm gonna tell him that you made me leave. I'm gonna tell him everything! It's over, Mr. Grey… I'm done keeping your secrets! I don't have to be afraid anymore, because Leila's stepfather is in jail!"

Ana then turned on her heel and began walking away from Carrick.

"Miss Steele! Wait! I've to tell you something very important."

Ana heard him, but kept on walking further.

"Anastasia! My son… Ch… Christian has a daughter!" She heard him say, making Ana instantly stop in her tracks. "But only Leila's stepfather and I know of her existence…"

At that, she slowly turned around and faced Carrick. "What did you just say?"

* * *

 _ **Note: Thank you all so much for reading my new story and reviewing. ;)**_

 _ **I really appreciate it... YOU ROCK!**_

 **Leave me a review, short or long? ;)**

 _ **Thank you all for the support, follows and faves.**_

 _ **I've got only love for you...**_

 _ **Till the next one,**_

 _ **J**_


	3. Kate, what's the matter?

**I do not own Fifty Shades Trilogy**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

 **Kate, what's the matter?**

xxx [[[]]] xxx

* * *

 _"Anastasia! My son… Ch… Christian has a daughter!" She heard him say, making Ana instantly stop in her tracks. "But only Leila's stepfather and I know of her existence…"_

 _At that, she slowly turned around and faced Carrick. "What did you just say?"_

"Before Leila's stepfather went to prison, he ordered his people to grab little Savannah and made sure I nor anyone else can get to her. " Carrick confessed, and looked at Ana pleadingly. "Please… Anastasia, I need your help with this…"

Ana couldn't believe her ears and shook her head. "You're lying to me…" she replied, while tears pooled in her eyes. "This is just a shameless attempt of yours, so I'd keep my mouth shut…"

"This is the honest truth, Anastasia…" he insisted, while grabbing something from his suit jacket pocket.

Ana shook her head. "No… I won't fall for your sick, pathetic mind games, Mr. Grey… I will tell Christian what you have done…I'm gonna tell him _everything_." she announced, her voice fierce.

'Don't listen to him! Just walk away, Ana!' was what the little voice inside her head advised.

She let out a deep breath, and decided right then to bolt.

However, Carrick leaped forward, grabbed her by her wrist, and then tugged at her, making Ana jerk backwards. "Please, look. I have proof that Savannah is Christian's…"

When that happened she was furious! Ana tugged at her arm harshly, and glared at him. "Let go of me!" she snapped, making Carrick instantly apologize.

"I'm so sorry… please, Anastasia. "He pleaded. "Just have a quick look."

She huffed loudly and said. "No."

At that moment, her brain was sending her red flags: Do not look him in the eyes! Leave now! Leave now!

And yet Ana wasn't able to resist and locked eyes with Carrick.

That was her biggest mistake! He looked so broken and desperate, the look in his eyes pleading…

The same look he had given her, 9 years ago…

With a haunting look on his face, Carrick handed over an envelope to Ana. "Just look at this and you'll know that I'm not lying who Savannah is… she _is_ Christian's daughter, Anastasia…"

xxx [[[]]] xxx

With a blank expression on her face, Ana sat alone in a diner, drinking her sixth cup of coffee, her mind just in a complete maze right now.

She felt so defeated… and powerless. Can't she catch a break? Why does her life have to be so freaking difficult? Before Ana ripped open the envelope Carrick had given her, she was on the verge of telling Christian why she left 9 years ago… and now this!

 _After she had examined the contents of the envelope thoroughly, Ana's face went pale._

 _"Do you believe me now?" Carrick had asked her._

 _"I have to get out of here…" Ana murmured, and walked hastily away from Christian's father._

She then wandered the streets of the City, and at a certain point ended up in this diner…

Ana hadn't realized that hours had passed by until her eyes darted up, and landed on the diner's clock.

Crap! It was 9:45 PM already!

"Oh no!" she uttered and grabbed her phone out of her bag.

As her eyes landed on the display, Ana read that there were more than 20 missed calls and several text messages from Mia, Kate, her mom and Christian!

Shit! The others must be worried sick about her…

Before she had the conversation with Christian's father, Ana had set her phone on silent. And after, she was so shocked about Carrick's revelation, and forgot to undo that action.

"Damn it! Hopefully they're not that worried about me." She whispered, and was just about to call Christian, when her phone rang.

It was Kate!

"Hello."

"Ana! Thank God!" she yelled in Ana's ear. "We were worried sick about you!"

At that Ana closed her eyes. "Sorry, hon… but I…" she began, but Kate interrupted her.

Kate informed her that they had called Carla, but she told them that Ana wasn't at home either. So, they all went searching for Ana, afraid that something bad had happened to her.

Ana groaned internally and pleaded. "Kate, please calm down. Don't shout in my ears, like I said… I'm very sorry…"

However, her friend kept on and on how worried they were about her.

"Ka… Kate! Please listen to me." Ana asked. "I'll meet you guys at the restaurant right away, OK?"

After that, Ana ended the phone conversation although Kate still sounded very pissed at her.

 _ **~ At the restaurant ~**_

The moment Ana arrived, Kate and Mia both hugged her and even hit her playfully on her upper arm.

"Don't you know how dangerous it can be in the City at night, Ana?!" Don't ever do that again, OK!" Mia said, and hugged her once more.

Ana looked at them with pleading eyes. "Hey, you guys. I'm really sorry, OK. I promise I won't ever do it again." Ana apologized once more. "I just lost track of time, not realizing how late it was."

From a distance Christian observed Ana, while taking a swig from his drink. He had an expressionless look on his face. However, within seconds that changed into a furious look!

It was in that moment that Ana turned her head and locked eyes with Christian.

Her heart almost leaped out of her chest, startled because of "the dark clouds" above Christian's head…

His gray eyes bored into hers, sending shivers up and down her spine. Oh! Fuck!

Christian was extremely pissed at her… Ana recognized that look, one he had given her 11 years ago, when she had unintentionally put herself in grave danger while exercising at the shooting range…

Shit! Crap! Christian had been worried sick about her. _That_ , Ana was sure of. Boy, was she in trouble right now!

He _so_ was going to give her a piece of his mind.

As she and the two walked in the direction where Christian sat, Ana attempted avoiding his piercing gaze…

While his eyes examined Ana's face and the rest of her body for possible injuries, his anger faded a bit, when he noticed that she was unharmed. Instantly, Christian felt relief washing over him, because she was OK.

No one had hurt his… correction, no one had hurt Ana.

During their search for Ana he had been worried about her though, fearing that something horrible had happened to her. All kinds of bad images and scenarios plagued his mind then, while almost going nuts not knowing what had happened to her. (Just like 9 years ago)

As the trio almost reached him, Christian caught Ana's gaze.

It dawned on him at that particular moment that he couldn't deny it any longer. Christian was still hopelessly in love with Ana…

Fuck!

He knew deep inside his heart that he could never love another like he loved Ana. And still did…

As their eyes kept locking, Christian all of a sudden felt the unbearable, gnawing ache in his heart all over again, consuming him from the inside out like it used to.

In his opinion, it felt like Ana had left him _not_ nine years ago, but nine days ago.

He was extremely pissed at himself, because he was still in love, even after everything that Ana had done to him.

So, Christian decided to take it out on her...

The moment the girls reached the table, and Ana stood right in front of him, Christian fucking lost it.

""Do you know how worried we were?! We called you, texted you but you didn't reply! So we decided to look for you." Christian hissed, not even taking the time to breathe.

Ana looked at him with open mouth, unable to reply.

"We searched for hours, but we couldn't find you. And we were just about to call the Police… Luckily you picked up, Ana." he pointed out. "Do you know how worried we were? Do you know how dangerous your actions could have been? Do you?!"

"Christian" Mia warned and gave him a disapproving look. "Ana already apologized to us… and now she also wants to apolog..."

However, Christian was beyond pissed and cut his sister off harshly.

"So you apologized, did you Ana?" he said and glared at her. "You are gracing us with your presence and have apologized! Wow... That makes everything good again…"

Ana sighed deeply, refusing to hold in her tongue any longer. "What do you want me to do, Christian? What else can I do now? Huh?" she said, while clenching her hands into fists. "Like I pointed out before, I'm very sorry. I lost track of time and I didn't hear you guys calling nor text…"

But Christian also cut off Ana harshly.

"That is what you do, isn't it Ana?! Disappear on people, not caring how you leave them behind. Not giving a f… damn about their freaking feelings." he said, while tears pooled in his eyes, the venom in his voice evident and clear. "You are selfish like that, aren't you?"

"I didn't do it on purpose Christian" Ana said, her voice low, while looking at him hurt, the lump in her throat preventing her to scold him. "How dare you…"

She expected him to be angry at her, but Ana didn't in a million years expect Christian to be so mean and harsh…

And yet Christian pushed forward, using this moment to pour out all his heart ache, frustrations and pain on Ana… (One that was _long_ overdue)

So he kept on venting, his gray eyes boring into Ana's. "You love it, right Ana? When people look for you like crazy, wondering if you are alive or in a ditch somewhere!" Christian said, his voice trembling heavily. "We were so afraid that some nut had hurt you! But that's normal for you, right?! You do as you please and don't give a freaking crap how you hurt the people in your life…"

Kate and Mia were too shocked to react, and stared at Christian with disbelief. He had taken it too far…

As those last words rang in her ears, Ana felt a gnawing pain cutting right through her heart and soul…

And as Mia looked at Christian then back at Ana, something in her head clicked.

In that moment, she knew that her big brother wasn't talking about what had occurred today… Christian was talking about what had happened 9 years ago, when Ana had left him.

At that, Mia glared at Christian, as if she wanted to say' What the hell is wrong with you?'

As he realized that others in the restaurant were looking and listening to them, he let out a deep breath and closed his eyes for a few moments.

Christian then stormed out of the restaurant, unable to handle being in Ana's presence any longer. It felt like his heart had been cut into hundreds of pieces, the pain and agony from 9 years ago still fresh in his mind.

As he arrived at the parking lot, he turned around and saw that the others had followed him. At one point, Ana stood right in front of him with a furious look in her eyes.

"How could you say those mean things to me, Christian? How dare you?!" she shouted, her lips trembling, her tears flowing and her hands shaking. "How can you call me selfish? You have no clue, why I had to leave 9 years ago! I _had_ to leave!"

"How will I know, Ana? How do you want me to have a clue, when you left at 4 in the morning and never looked back?" he fired back, his voice desperate and felt his heart break all over again. "And the worst thing about it… is that you _never_ gave me an explanation, Ana! Why? Why, Ana? I moved heaven and earth trying to find you! Just please, tell me why?!"

As the last sentence reached her ears, Ana's eyes fluttered shut.

She couldn't tell him… Ana stood there speechless for a moment, telling herself that she deserved the punishment.

He was right... Christian was damn right! He wasn't the mean one in all of this, _she_ was…

Savannah's life was in the hands of a ruthless man… So even though she wanted to tell Christian the truth, Ana decided to listen to Carrick and shut her mouth about the whole ordeal instead. For now that is…

Carrick had ambushed her with so much information at once. However, with her brilliant mind, Ana decided to sort out everything she had learned from Carrick in her head, and think of a seamless plan to save Christian's 4-year old daughter.

"I uhmm... I can't. I want to, I really do. But I cannot" Ana replied, the tone of her voice a pitch higher than usual.

Her reaction made Christian's anger rise inside him, burning in the bowels of his stomach. "Ana, tell me! Enlighten me! Did I do something wrong?! "he roared, almost having the urge to put his hands on her upper arms and shake her till she explained herself.

At this point, Ana couldn't bear to see him like that… on the verge of breaking.

So, she shook her head instead. "Don't do this, please"

At that, Mia looked at her brother with pleading eyes. "Christian, let's go home… it's getting late" she advised, wanting to prevent things between him and Ana from escalating.

At first he shook his head. "Ana owes me an explanation" he muttered under his breath, however Mia grabbed him on his upper arm and dragged him away from Ana and in the direction of his Porsche.

"Please calm down, Christian" she said, and mouthed to Kate "Please, take my car and bring Ana home?"

Kate nodded at that and said. "Let's go..."

She then walked silently with Ana towards Mia's car.

xxx [[[]]] xxx

Christian calmed down a bit during the drive to his mansion. He was still outraged and hurt, but he tried his very best to take it cool.

After Mia dropped him off, Christian took a warm shower and then he grabbed a pair of sweatpants from his walk-in closet.

 _Before she drove away, Mia had asked him if he needed company._

 _He declined and told her that he had enough company, referring to his security detail._

" _I'm worried about you, Christian" Mia had said._

" _I'm fine" he replied coolly._

" _You sure?" she asked._

 _Apart from him worrying about Luke, Mia knew that her big brother was still riled up about the situation with Ana._

 _So she said. "I'm gonna call you later, OK?"_

" _You don't have to, Mia… I'm fine" he insisted, so Mia decided to leave him with his thoughts._

 _Though she did it in a reluctant manner._

As he sat alone on the couch in his spacious, modern living room, Christian took out the black velvet box out of his pocket. He opened the box and looked at the contents of it…

Christian never had the heart to get rid of it. He had bought another for Leila, and kept the very first ring that he had bought, in a secret compartment in his library.

On multiple occasions, Christian had the urge to destroy that damned thing! He thought about throwing it into the lake or burying it. However, he never had the heart to do so.

Because even after everything that happened between Ana and him, he still had hope that someday they would be together again.

But now that Ana was here and still refused to give him an explanation, it dawned on him that he had been living with a false notion for all these years.

He had been feeding his own heart false hope…

As realization hit, and the events of today became too much for his heart to take, Christian caved.

He didn't have the strength any longer to fight it. He was unable to push back the tears that he had been holding for 9 long years.

So he finally let them flow…

 **~ Meanwhile~**

Kate had dropped Ana off at her mother's house, and instead of driving away immediately, she placed a hand on Ana's upper arm for comfort. "Are you gonna be OK, Ana? Do you want me to stay with you for a while?"

"No. I'm gonna be fine, Kate." Ana replied, and squeezed her friend's hand lightly. "Thanks though. I just need a warm bath and some rest. See you tomorrow, OK?"

"OK, if you say so. But call me if you need anything, OK?"

Ana nodded. "Yeah, I will." She said, and smiled at Kate.

It was then, when she noticed that Kate looked at her questioningly.

"Kate, what is it?" Ana asked.

"Girl, I don't wanna sound nosy. But this has been bothering me for years now. I gotta ask. Why did you leave him? You two were inseparable. What happened?" Kate asked. "Do you know that Luke and I saw Christian, when he bought the engagement ring for you? He was over the moon with it… Don't you think he deserves an explanation?"

Ana nodded at that. "You're right, Kate. Christian deserves that explanation" she confessed. "But now is not the time… not yet anyway. I've got to figure out first how to handle it all"

Kate sighed deeply and started the car. "OK, I will let this go. For now…" she pointed out. "But next time, I won't let it go so easily… laterzz"

"OK, see you tomorrow" Ana uttered, and waved as Kate drove away.

xxx [[[]]] xxx

The second she was alone, Ana felt like someone had ripped away her heart and soul. The man who she sacrificed everything for, called her selfish...

And in her opinion, Christian had the right to be pissed at her about her leaving him, but that didn't make it less painful to hear him say those words.

'I deserve it all... everything Christian threw in my face, I so deserved it.' were the words that bounced inside her skull.

The only thing Ana felt at the moment was an excruciating, gnawing ache in her heart. Why did it hurt so much?! As she stepped into her old bedroom, Ana felt at home. God, she missed this bedroom. She undressed and walked to the bathroom. When the water was warm enough, she let her bathrobe fall to the floor and stepped into her bathtub.

"Hmmm." A sigh escaped her lips, while her eyes fluttered shut.

Christian. Christian Grey...

Her heart ached tremendously at the reminder of how he shouted at her. And the look on his face, made her skin crawl. He'd gotten so bitter.

Bitter Christian... She still had to get used to that version of him.

Ana would have never thought he'd turn out like this.

Was she the cause of him being so bitter? Was it her fault? Surely she was the one to blame, but at the time she didn't have a choice but to leave. Right?!

Maybe she made the wrong choice. Maybe she should've just told him the truth and went to the authorities together.

Maybe she should've went to Grace instead. Well, she'll never know now.

Ana groaned, because the scenarios in her head made her head spin.

Maybe, maybe, maybe! Well there's nothing she could do about it now. What's done is done. And she made the choice to leave him. End of chapter…

Why did she make that choice though?

"How long can the Police protect him, Anastasia?!" was what Christian's father had told her nine years ago.

Carrick had been very convincing, telling Ana that the only way to save Christian's life from the Russian Mafia was to leave Seattle. Ana was only 21 and barely had any life experience...

And so she left and hadn't looked back until now...

While she sunk deeper into her tub, Ana couldn't help but hear those harsh words Christian said to her.

The words he used, really stung... It hurt and it burnt. It hurt so bad that Ana had trouble breathing at a certain point...

As she sucked in some air, Ana attempted to think about something else. Was she able to think about something else than him though?

Yes, she was capable of doing that!

She just had to set her mind to it. Yes...

No, she couldn't... All Ana saw, when her eyes fluttered shut were his beautiful gray eyes and nothing else.

'I can do this' Ana encouraged herself after a little while.

Think about Luke... Yes, my childhood friend Luke.

God, she missed her goofy friend so much... Their friend who always used to pull hilarious pranks on Kate and who used to tease Mia and Ana...

She was doing fine, thinking about the others and Luke. Well, that was until Ana heard a familiar song on the radio.

"The rose" by Westlife...

It used to be 'their' song years ago. (Ana's and Christian's)

At that, a smile instantly played at her lips, while she fantasized about him being here with her in this very bath tub, holding her close to his chest...

However, when the song ended, Ana felt the emptiness inside her heart again. She didn't want the song to end, because that meant that she had to go back to reality where Christian wasn't in her life. Here in her own little fantasy, he was with her...

Ana almost could feel his skin on hers, his lips on hers and she could hear him tell her that he loved her…

God, she missed him so freaking much it physically hurt!

Christian... Christian Grey.

A lonely tear rolled down her cheek, as Ana felt that awful tug at her heart once more. Why? Why was life so cruel?!

She was a genius/brilliant engineer, who ran one of the biggest IT companies in New York, but even with all her knowledge about schematics, inventions, mathematics and physics, Ana could never find the answer to that very question...

 **~ Three days later ~**

During a board meeting, Christian received several calls on his cellphone. Two from Mia and three from Kate. He rejected them all, so Kate decided to call his secretary.

"Sir, I'm so sorry to interrupt... but you have a call from a young lady named Kate Kavanagh." the older woman pointed out. "It's urgent, Sir... it's about your friend Luke Sawyer?"

As those last words reached his ears, Christian instantly stood up from his seat and excused himself from the meeting.

With trembling fingers he picked up his office phone. "Hello, Kate?"

"Yes, it's me... I'm at the hospital with Mia. " She began, as her voice started to tremble heavily.

"Kate, what's the matter?! Is Luke alright?" he asked, while gripping his phone so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"It… it's Luke... He's awake. He's awake, Christian!" he heard Kate say from the other side of the line, while she sobbed.

As tears of joy ran down Christian's face, he smiled happily.

"I'm coming right in." He stated, while hastily walking out his office, and called Taylor to bring him to the hospital right away.

 **~ Meanwhile ~**

At the moment Ana was in her mom's kitchen, drinking a coke.

The passed two days, she and Christian had done their very best to avoid each other.

She visited Luke during the mornings, while Christian went to the hospital in the afternoon.

It was difficult for her not being able to see him, but it sure was better than being with him in the same room, after their fight at the restaurant and parking lot a few days ago.

"Ana?"

"Yeah, mom."

"Are you alright, sweetie?" Carla asked concerned.

"Yeah, of course. What's up?"

"I don't know... how are you holding up? With Luke and seeing Christian again?"

Ana sighed deeply at that. " I'm doing, OK. You know why?"

"Hmmm? Why, my brilliant daughter?" Her mom asked.

"Because my mommy is here with me for me." Ana replied and pulled her mom in a tight embrace.

"OK, OK. I know what this is." Carla accused. "This means; don't ask questions and just hug me. Right?"

Ana pulled away from the tight hug and gave her mom a wink." You know me, mama. You know your daughter well."

"Yes, I do... I absolutely know my brilliant daughter well..." Carla stated, and squeezed Ana's hand tightly.

At that moment, Ana's phone rang.

"Hello."

"Ana, you have to get here. Luke is awake and he is asking for you." Kate said, her voice breaking at the end.

"I'll be right there." Ana promised and ended the phone conversation.

 **~ At the hospital ~**

Christian arrived before Ana and was already chatting with Luke, when she walked into the hospital room.

"Hey." She uttered, as her throat closed up, seeing her childhood friend up and about.

"Hey." Luke replied, while tears pooled in his eyes.

Christian locked eyes with Ana right then... His eyes also welling up, while happily smiling through his tears.

At that very moment, Ana wasn't able to keep her emotions in check any longer... so, she let it go...

As she stood next to the bed, loud sobs escaped her pink lips. Luke instantly grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly, while Christian watched his two friends.

'We don't have the same blood running through our veins, but these two people are like family. And God, I can't... I can't lose either one of them again. Please, let them be in my life from now on." Christian silently prayed, while also grabbing Ana's hand.

He was still very pissed at her, and yet Christian decided to put his anger aside.

Why?

Because Luke's accident had been a very close call... if the paramedics or surgeons had been just one minute too late, Christian would've lost Luke... he could've died.

That was something he truly couldn't be able to bear. It was then, when he decided for himself that no matter what Ana had done in the past, he truly still wanted her in his life... Even just as a friend...

 **~ A while later ~**

At the moment Mia, Kate, Ana, Luke and Christian were in the hospital room. They were telling each other funny stories from the past, even embarrassing ones.

"Shhhh! Everyone out! Now." They heard the nurse say. "You are too loud in here! He's still a patient who needs a lot of rest!"

They all apologized and said good bye to Luke.

"See you tomorrow, OK Luke?" Kate and Mia said, kissing him on the cheek.

At that, Christian locked eyes with Ana." So, do you want a lift?" he asked, and smiled at her sincerely. "Ana, uhmmm... we need to talk. Wanna grab something to eat? "

As those words tumbled from his lips, Ana hesitated for a moment, and contemplated what to say to him. She wasn't sure if she could be with Christian alone right now." Uhummm... I..."

Luke chuckled, as he observed his childhood friend. Ana looked like a deer caught in the headlights ." I bet you two have a lot to talk about." he stated. " But before you do... I've a tiny request first."

"Anything, Luke..." Christian replied.

"Can I speak to Ana for just a minute in private?" Luke asked.

Christian nodded and smiled at his best friend."Off course. I'll be right outside." he said. "See you tomorrow, OK buddy?"

Luke nodded and the two best friends did their 'secret' handshake, making Ana burst out into laughter.

The moment Christian had left the room, Ana looked at Luke questioningly, while grabbing his hand. "Hey, what did you wanna talk about?" She asked.

Luke's face instantly changed from a happy to an expressionless one.

"Luke? What's wrong?!" Ana asked, her brows scrunched together. "You're scaring me... Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Ana..." Luke said and looked around the hospital room suspiciously.

"Luke?!" Ana asked once more. "What is it?"

He locked eyes with her and whispered. "The car accident... It wasn't an accident at all, Ana. Someone attempted to kill me... The breaks of my car had been tampered with on purpose."

At that, Ana's eyes went wide. "What?! But why?" She asked in disbelief.

Luke then grabbed Ana's hand. " It's because of what I know."

"Know what?! Know what, Luke?" Ana insisted.

As that question reached his ears, Luke let out a deep breath. "I accidentally found out about Christian's 4-year old daughter... her name is Savannah." he confessed, his voice a mere whisper, while gripping Ana's hand so tightly it hurt. "The reason for that attempt on my life is this..."

Luke was truly terrified.

"Yes?" she asked, her voice trembling heavily.

Ana waited impatiently, as he brought his mouth towards her ear and whispered. "I was attacked, because I know where Christian's daughter is..."

* * *

Note: So... what do you think?

Leave me a review, short or long? ;)

(In this story, Carrick and Grace are Christian's biological parents)

Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews/feedback and awesome support.

YOU ALL ROCK! ;)

Till the next one,

J


	4. It was no time to act weak

**I do not own Fifty Shades Trilogy**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

 **It was no time to act weak**

 **xxx [[[]]] xxx**

* * *

 _ **Luke was truly terrified.**_

 _ **"Yes?" she asked, her voice trembling heavily.**_

 _ **Ana waited impatiently, as he brought his mouth towards her ear and whispered. "I was attacked, because I know where Christian's daughter is..."**_

As soon as Ana heard those bone-chilling words, a dreadful stomach-churning feeling washed over her whole being.

"Luke, this means that you're probably not safe here..." She whispered.

He looked around and nodded." I agree, but right now I'm more concerned about Christian's daughter... we need to find her, Ana." he replied, so softly Ana barely heard him.

"Oh God, you know about Savannah..." she whispered, while gripping Luke's hand so tightly that it hurt him.

"Ana, ouch."

At that, she pulled her hand back." So sorry, Luke... wait, how did _you_ find out about his daughter?" Ana asked softly, while her brows were scrunched together.

Luke sighed deeply and cleared his throat." Well, I was working on..." he began, but then stopped mid-sentence." How did _you_ find out about Christian's daughter? You just got here... you've been back here only a couple of days, right?"

As those words reached her ears, Ana knew that she couldn't do this on her own. She had to confide in someone. And Ana knew she could trust Luke with the information, because she trusted him with her life.

There were two people in this world she trusted blindly, and Luke was one of them.

Without hesitation, Ana spilled it all. She told Luke _everything_. She told him all about Carrick and how she found out about Savannah. Luke was speechless, as he heard from her why she had left Christian all those years ago.

Her voice was trembling the whole time and he noticed how she was attempting with all her might to hold back the tears. He knew that it must have been awful for her to keep something so big- this heavy burden, from everyone... including the man that she loved.

 _Especially_ , from the man that Ana loved.

It pained Luke so much that Christian had been heartbroken, when Ana had left him. And now Luke was hearing from Ana's own mouth, why she had left his best friend all those years ago.

He noticed that Ana was hurting too, even after all these years. That, Luke was certain of.

"And that's all of it, Luke. I'm so sorry that I kept this from you... I didn't mean to hurt Ch..." Ana whispered, but got chocked up.

Luke shook his head and pulled her into an embrace." Oh, Ana banana. You should've come to me." he said and patted her for comfort." You should've told Christian about his father."

Ana nodded, while trying to swallow those stubborn tears." I know... I know that I should've... I'm so sorry I've hurt him, Luke. I loved him so much." she said softly." I still do... I never stopped loving him."

 **xxx**

A couple of minutes later, Luke told Ana how he found out about Christian's daughter, Savannah. It was his turn to spill everything he knew about the little girl, so he did.

"Wow..." Ana uttered, while staring at a spot in front of her." I still can't wrap my head around it, you know. That Christian has a daughter."

Luke smiled at that." I know, right. Me neither." he replied.

"Luke?"

"Yeah?"

Ana sat closer to him and asked." Why didn't you go to Christian, when you found out about his daughter?"

At that, Luke's eyes fluttered shut for a few moments. He then opened his eyes, and let out a deep breath." I did... well what I mean is that I was on my way to Christian... I was on my way to tell him _everything_ , when they sabotaged the breaks of my car."

When those words reached her ears, Ana's anger rose inside her, burning in the bowels of her stomach." Because of that, you got into that accident and you ended up here." she said with gritted teeth, her voice trembling heavily from pure anger.

'How dare they try to kill one of my best friends! Bastards!' was what bounced inside her skull at that very moment.

"Ana, I know I'm still in danger. I'm terrified for my life." Luke confessed to her." However, I can't stop thinking about little Savannah... We need to find her, but we can't do it alone... We need _Christian's s_ help."

She nodded at that, and decided _then_ that it was time to tell Christian the whole truth." You're right... we have to go to Christian and tell him together. We have to tell him about his little girl."

Ana knew that it was finally time to come clean to the man that she still loved with all her heart.

No matter Carrick's threats, no matter the consequences. Ana knew that _together_ with her two best friends, they could overcome every obstacle that life would throw at the them.

"There's still the issue of your safety, Luke. What's your plan regarding that?" Ana whispered." You do have a plan, right?"

Luke nodded and grabbed both her hands." Listen to me carefully, Ana." he whispered.

"I'm listening..." she too was whispering.

He cleared his throat and said." Before we go to Christian, I need you to contact a good friend of mine first. We can count on her to find a safe place for me."

Ana nodded at that. "Off course, should I call her now? What's her number?"

Luke shook his head." No, it's not safe. You need to meet her in person."

Ana sighed and bit her lip, worried about Luke's safety. "I will do whatever it takes, Luke. As long as you're alive and safe. I need you to be safe..." she whispered.

He smiled at hearing her say that." God, I've missed you so much , Ana Banana."

She rolled her eyes at him, but then after a few moments Ana asked. "But can we trust her, Luke? Are you sure of it? Can we trust your friend?"

* * *

As promised, Christian had been waiting patiently for Ana till she was done speaking with Luke. He had taken a seat in one of the chairs in the hallway, because he had offered her a lift. However, Ana had other plans. After the conversation with Luke, she walked over to Christian and told him that their best friend had asked her to do something for him.

Ana told him that it couldn't wait... that it was very urgent.

"I'll call you later, Christian. I promise... I need to have an important talk with you..." Ana told him.

Without hesitation, he nodded and said." OK, do what you need to do, Ana... I'll be waiting for your call."

At that moment Christian knew that Ana was being sincere. He noticed something different in her gorgeous eyes. Something he couldn't quite explain, but it was there... Was it because of the conversation she just had with his best friend? Was it because of Luke?

From the looks of it, Ana was _finally_ willing to talk to him about their past.

"OK, Christian. See you later." Ana promised and walked hastily in the direction of the elevator.

With a content feeling, Christian walked over to the elevator. There was even a small smile playing at his lips. He was so relieved that his best friend was fine. Honestly, he couldn't be happier.

As he walked out the hospital, he thought about Ana.

Ana, Ana, Ana... Just the thought of how she had held his hand not so long ago in Luke's hospital room, made him feel all kinds of things.

Christian didn't know if he could ever forgive her for leaving him, but he did know that he still needed and wanted Ana in his life. He needed both Luke and _her_. Attempting to deny that was no use.

"Mr. Grey, where to sir?" Taylor asked, when Christian took a seat in the limo." Back to the office?"

At that, Christian shook his head." No, you can bring me home."

"So early, sir?" Taylor asked." What about your meetings for the day?"

"I postponed them all." Christian replied." After you've dropped me off, I want you to meet with Henry so you two can see what my father has been up to. Call me, when you've discovered something I can use."

At hearing that, Taylor nodded. "Off course, sir. Will do." He answered and stepped on the gas." Home it is then."

 _ **~ Approximately two hours later ~**_

Christian was working out in his private Gym, busy kicking and hitting the punching bag, when his phone rang. Before answering the call, he grabbed a towel and took a quick swig from his water bottle.

"Taylor, I assume that you and Henry have discovered something I can use?" he said into the phone.

"Yes, sir. From our sources we received Intel about your father's latest whereabouts." Christian heard Taylor say.

"And?" Christian asked impatiently, while gripping the phone so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"You're right, sir. We only had to follow him." His bodyguard announced.

"So, my father has finally slipped up." Christian stated and took a deep breath.

Finally! He was finally getting closer to her. Tears pooled in his eyes, but he harshly pushed them back. It was no time to act weak… he had to find her first, before something awful happens to her.

"Yes, sir." He heard Taylor say. Christian could hear in his voice that the head of his security detail was smiling, even though he couldn't see him."Your father has slipped up badly."

"I'll come over right away." Christian said and ended the phone conversation.

He hastily wiped away the sweat from his face and body, while storming towards his bedroom. He changed into his casual clothes with haste and grabbed his black helmet and black leather jacket.

With a content feeling, Christian jumped on his black motor cycle and sped away towards the building he bought just 6 months ago. As he raced through the streets of Seattle, Christian felt impatient all of a sudden. He couldn't wait to find out what information his employee Henry had dug up for him.

All Christian knew right now, was that he was closer to finding her.

He was closer to finding _his_ little girl.

* * *

 **Note: So... what do you think?**

 **Leave me a review, short or long?**

 **Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews and awesome support.**

 **J**


	5. The pillow

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fifty Shades Trilogy**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

 **The pillow**

 **xxx [[[]]] xxx**

* * *

 ** _All Christian knew right now, was that he was closer to finding her._**

 ** _He was closer to finding his little girl._**

Christian all of a sudden felt so impatient, the moment he arrived at his destination, his heart thumping wildly against his rib cage. He carefully parked his motorcycle in the garage and took his helmet off. He hastily walked inside, unlocking the two metal doors and then stormed down the stairs till he ended up in a spacious room.

With excessive speed, Christian strode towards the last wide metal door and punched the code so fast he accidentally missed a button.

At that, a loud beeping sound reached his ears." ACCESS DENIED" he read on the display of the door.

He groaned at that, and attempted once more. This time he successfully punched in the 6-digit code, making the heavy metal door open. Relieved, Christian let out a deep breath and walked into the room. As he stepped inside, Taylor walked over to him.

"Sir, you need to see this ASAP!" the head of his security detail demanded.

Christian nodded and when he reached the spot where his employee Henry was seated, the young blond man didn't even look up and said." Good afternoon, Mr. Grey."

"Hi Henry. Wanna show me what you discovered?" Christian eagerly asked.

His employee typed away continuously at his computers and nodded." Yes, off course sir." he replied and showed Christian the footage of his father entering a certain building.

Christian furrowed his brows, wondering what his father was doing at that place. He had no business being there.

"Henry, were you able to follo..." he began, but the blond young man respectfully cut him off.

"Way ahead of you, sir." Henry said triumphantly, while a smile played at his lips. (And off course he did all of that without even looking away from his computers)

"Voila, sir!" he said and showed Christian another footage.

As Christian took a seat, his eyes were focused _only_ on the big computer screen on the wall.

"What are you doing there, father?" he whispered, while clenching his hands into fists without even realizing it himself.

He watched how Carrick walked inside the building and noticed how tight security was. There were a lot of men all dressed in a black uniform, all of them carrying weapons. The moment Carrick stepped inside, the men had searched his body for weapons. When they were sure that Christian's father was unarmed, two men led him further down the hall.

While watching his father on the huge computer screen, Christian asked his employee all kinds of questions.

"Henry, did you find out who owns the building?" he asked.

The blond guy nodded." Yes, sir." he replied." It wasn't easy, because their firewall is very impressive, to be honest. However, I was able to get in and find out"

"Who is the owner, Henry?" Christian repeated, while furrowing his brows, his patience being tested right now. He sure wasn't in the mood to hear Henry babble about firewalls, hacking, or all the terminology he usually used, when answering Christian's questions.

Henry instantly noticed the difference in his boss' demeanor and finally looked up from his computers. He studied the expression on his boss' face for a moment and then replied." Uhmm, well sir... officially, the owner of the building is a legitimate firm in New York..."

"And unofficially?" Christian asked impatiently.

"The Russian mafia owns the building." Henry replied, and went on typing away at his computer.

At hearing that info, Christian was shocked." What?! he shouted." The Russian mob? Henry, are you sure?"

"Yes, Mr. Grey... I'm 100 percent certain." Christian's employee responded." In the six months that I've worked for you, have I ever given you false information, sir?"

Christian was really taken aback by what his employee had discovered for him." Henry, this is my father we're talking about... the last nine years he's been acting really weird and seriously shady... but, but..." he stammered." I just cannot believe that my father could be involved with the Russ..."

The next thing he noticed on the footage, made Christian stop mid-sentence. His father was led to a very luxurious room filled with mounted animal heads. Also, the owner didn't seem to hide the fact that he was in possession of all kinds of weapons. From pistols to rifles to even a bunch of AK-47.

A tall, broad man stood up from behind his desk, and gave Carrick a nod. After that, they both took a seat.

"Who is he?" Christian mumbled, while furrowing his brows." I've seen him before... I know I have."

He did his very best, but Christian just was unable to place the man.

At first, the thug sat relaxed in his seat. However, as the conversation between the two continued, the tall man seemed to get very angry at Carrick.

Christian watched in horror as the tall man grabbed his father and shoved him onto a wall.

"Henry... I need you to zoom in on that thug's face." Christian demanded." Right now!"

The young man did as his boss instructed, so after a few moments it finally dawned on Christian who that thug was!

"When did this occur, Henry?" Christian asked, his voice stern.

"The footage is from today, Mr. Grey... it's from this afternoon" the young man responded." This happened approximately one hour ago."

Christian shook his head at hearing that, and grabbed his phone from his leather jacket pocket.

"What are you going to do, Sir?" Taylor asked, the tone of his voice full of concern.

Christian had already dialed the number, and growled." This ends here... if my father doesn't voluntarily come clean to me about **_all_ **of this, all the _fucking_ secrets and the lies, I will force it out of him myself!"

A frightened look appeared on Henry's face, when he heard Christian say those words. However, he recovered fast and began typing away on his computer again, acting as if he didn't hear a single thing...

 **xxx [[[]]] xxx**

Meanwhile, Ana was sitting in a restaurant in Bainbridge island, and waited for the woman who Luke swore could help him find a safe place. Immediately after leaving the hospital, she rented a car and traveled with the ferry to Puget Sound. She then did exactly as Luke instructed and drove to the Bed And Breakfast and left a message with the desk clerk.

Ana waited exactly forty-five minutes there, and had just finished consuming a meal, when the desk clerk walked over to her. He had an expressionless look on his face and slipped Ana a note in her hands." Burn it immediately after reading, is that clear?" he ordered without blinking, and waited for Ana's reply.

She nodded at that, and whispered." Off course, I'll destroy it after I've read it."

When he heard those words, the desk clerk nodded and strode away from Ana. The moment the man was out of sight, Ana immediately payed her bill, walked out the Bed & Breakfast and slid behind the wheel of the car. She locked it and with trembling fingers, Ana opened the note.

 ** _You have to be careful. Make sure you're not being followed, Miss Steele._**

 ** _When you see something or someone suspicious, abort our meeting so I can set up another one._**

 ** _However, if you are sure that you're not being followed and that it's safe, meet me at 'Marzano's' at 6:45 PM sharp._**

 ** _Signed,_**

 ** _C._**

Ana read the note three more times, and then immediately grabbed a lighter from her bag and burned it like the desk clerk had instructed. She threw a quick glance at her watch and saw that it was 5:55 PM. After using google map to look up the meeting point, Ana started the car and drove in the direction of the restaurant.

During the drive, her mind drifted off to Christian and the others...

Luke was still in the hospital, unable to do anything. She knew that his doctor gave him lots of medication for the pain, especially in the evenings. A tear rolled down her cheek, as Ana thought how helpless her childhood friend was, both his legs in a cast and all those bandages...

As a sigh escaped her lips, Ana really wished that she didn't have to do all of this by herself. But like Luke pointed out, the less people know about Savannah, the better. She didn't want to endanger other people's lives by involving them. So telling Kate or Mia about Christian's little girl was totally out of the question!

Ana did want to involve Christian though─ he had the right to know about his daughter, and by involving him, she wouldn't have been alone right now. However, her only attempt to contact him had been unsuccessful. So in her opinion, Ana didn't have a choice then, but to travel to Bainbridge island without him as her companion.

 ** _**Flashback**_**

 _After leaving the building, where she had rented the car, Ana had called Christian's office. However, his secretary told Ana that he wasn't in at the moment. Mia had given her his cell phone number, but Ana wasn't sure if it was a good idea to call him on his private number._

 _What if he was busy? Maybe he was having drinks with his business partners or... Ana had already pressed the digits to his cell number, but hesitated on pressing the call button._

 _"Should I?" Ana whispered, and bit the insides of her cheek." Or not? I do not wanna disturb him... and I most definitely don't want to intrude on his current life"_

 _Ana knew that Christian wasn't that angry at her anymore, because she noticed the look on his face, when she told him in the hospital that she wanted to speak with him... So, she didn't have to worry about him being furious at her. And yet for some unknown reason, Ana cleared the number on the display of her phone. She then convinced herself that Christian must be busy with work._

 _'I don't want to disturb him... Plus, I'll contact him right after meeting with Luke's lady friend...' she had told herself._

 ** _** End of Flashback**_**

Ana parked the car in the parking lot and locked the door, before walking towards the restaurant. As she stepped inside, she felt a bit nervous, while her heart pounded against her chest. She wasn't sure why she was kind of afraid. Where did he meet this woman? She really didn't have an answer to that question. Ana had no clue who she was about to meet, no info at all of his lady friend. In the hospital, Luke had been so secretive and refused to even tell Ana what her name was.

The only real thing Ana knew about Luke's lady friend, was that he trusted her with his life...

After barely taking a seat at one of the tables, the waiter walked over to Ana." Good evening, Miss... what would you like to drink?" he asked.

Ana cleared her throat and nervously ran a hand through her hair, before replying." Good evening, Sir." she said." Well, I'd like a glass... wait, did you say evening?"

The man nodded, and announced." Yes, Miss it's 6:45 PM sharp at the moment."

At that, Ana looked around for the one she was meeting here.

"Miss Steele?" the waiter said.

Startled that he knew her name, Ana looked up at him, and asked." How do you know my name?"

"She will meet you now... follow me, will you?" the waiter said, in stead of answering her question.

"Wait! I need you to..." Ana started, but didn't continue when she realized that he was going to leave without her.

"OK, OK... I'm coming now!" she spat, and grabbed her GUCCI bag.

Without even looking back at her, the man walked up the stairs and into a wide emerald green hall. And off course, Ana followed suit. When they reached the end of it, the man stopped in his tracks and knocked four times on the door." Wait for her, right here." he demanded, and left Ana all alone.

She was just about to knock once more, when the door swung open." Miss Steele, please come in." Ana heard a voice say.

'Who are you?' Ana almost asked, but as she locked eyes with the woman, Ana's gut told her to just trust her. She honestly didn't know why...

'If Luke trusted her, then why should I question it' were the words that swirled around Ana's head, as she entered the room.

"Come, please take a seat." the woman suggested.

Ana then took a seat and observed her. She couldn't be older than 38, she had fiery red hair and her eyes were emerald green.

"So, you know who I am... but I don't know anything about you..." Ana started, and looked at the redhead questioningly.

At that, the gorgeous woman shook her head and apologized." So sorry for all the secrecy, Miss Steele..."

"Please, call me Ana."

"Off course, you are Ana. Mr. Sawyer once told me all about you, dear." the redhead confessed, as a small smile graced her gorgeous face.

Ana was perplexed." Really? He never told me about you."

But then all of a sudden, the redhead's smile vanished and she had a worried look on her face." He asked you to reach out to me, Ana... so this could only mean one thing... Mr. Sawyer is in grave danger, right now..."

Ana opened her mouth and then shook her head." Yes! There was an attempt on his life, and he barely survived..." she explained to the redhead." Luke is in the hospital right now, in Seattle and is waiting for you... uhmm... for us, I mean. Wait! But, but how ..."

When she heard from Ana that someone tried to kill Luke, the gorgeous redhead sprung to action. She instantly stood up, grabbed Ana's hand and pulled her up from her seat." How do I know that his life is in danger?" she said, speaking so fast she almost tripped over her own words, while leading Ana out the room." Come, Miss Steele... I'll explain it on the way to Seattle in my private chopper. But right now we have to go! I'll immediately make some calls to arrange a safe house in my home country for Mr. Sawyer."

Ana was literally being dragged, in a gentle manner off course, by the redhead and she stammered." But, but I don't understand"

The redhead kept on walking and insisted. "Explanation, later... right now we have to hurry and bring Mr. Sawyer to safety!"

* * *

 **~Meanwhile in the hospital~**

At the moment, the doctor was in Luke's room and was checking up on him.

"I feel a bit better now, Doc. In my opinion, I'll be able to dance again tomorrow or so." he joked, making Doctor Philips smile." What do you say, Doc?"

"Well, to be honest, Mr. Sawyer you feel a bit better because of the medication." The doctor replied.

"Awww... come on. It can't be... are you telling me that the morphine is talking right now?" Luke said, and acted all hurt.

Doctor Phillips chuckled, and nodded at him." Yes, that's the naked truth, Mr Sawyer... it's the morphine"

Luke smiled and asked." After I'm fully healed, can I take you out on a date, Doc?"

At that, the female doctor burst out into a warm laughter." The morphine is most definitely speaking right now, Mr. Sawyer."

He shook his head at that." No... no it's not... it's me who's doing the talking, Doc." he insisted." You have the most gorgeous blue eyes, you know that, Doc?"

At that, the nurse chuckled and said." Good evening, Mr. Sawyer... sleep tight."

"Wait! Where are you two going?" he asked, with a disappointed look on his face.

"Nurse Clara and I are finished here, Mr. Sawyer." Doctor Philips explained.

"When will I see you again, Doc?"

"Tomorrow, Mr. Sawyer..."

"You promise?" he said with pleading eyes.

"I promise." the doctor replied, and waved at him." Now get some rest, OK?"

Luke nodded at that." OK, Doc... I will."

As the minutes passed, Luke tried to fall asleep, but his attempts were in vain. So, he decided to kill time by watching television.

Luke was just about to press the emergency button, when the door of his room swung open.

"Hey! How did you know I needed assistance." he said and smiled widely.

"I'm Doctor Lang and I'll be checking up on your progress." the man said.

At that, Luke instantly furrowed his brows. He noticed something off about the man and heard the thick foreign accent.

"Wait! Wait a second there! My doctor just did a check-up on me... her name is Doctor Phillips... So, who are you exactly?" Luke questioned.

Instead of answering Luke's question, the man gave him a menacing look. He then locked the door and said." So... you're Mr. Luke Sawyer..."

When those words reached his ears, Luke knew that he was in grave danger. All of a sudden, he felt pure fear take over his whole being. ... Because of that, he was unable to press the emergency button!

He also wanted to call for help, but his vocal cords were uncooperative... also from fear. Noooo...

As the seconds passed, Luke watched in horror, while the thug closed in on him...

With the last strength he had in him, while slowly overcoming his fear, Luke brought his trembling hand towards the emergency button.

But it was in that very moment, when the thug with the thick accent grabbed it from Luke and tore the whole cable apart.

At one point, Luke finally got his voice under control again and shouted." Help! Help!"

"No one can help you now." the menacing man said, and slowly grabbed a pillow from the bed." Good bye, Mr. Sawyer..."

* * *

 ** _Note: Thank you all so much for reading and the wonderful reviews!_**

So... hit me with your thoughts, you guys.

Leave me a review, short or long?

You ALL ROCK! :)

Till the next one,

 _ **J**_


	6. Don't you worry, Baroness

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fifty Shades Trilogy**

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

 **Don't you worry, Baroness**

 **xxx [[[]]] xxx**

* * *

With a blank expression on her face, Ana stormed inside the hospital, and asked the first nurse she saw, where they moved Luke.

"I need to know if he's OK, nurse... his name is Luke Sawyer. Where did they move him?" Ana asked, and looked at the nurse pleadingly." I've been informed that he's not in room 426 anymore... can you help me, please?"

"Are you family?" The nurse asked.

Ana nodded and lied." Yes, I am... please, in which room is he?"

The whole time the redhead stood behind Ana, waiting patiently for the info. She was silent, and stood poised and graceful like royalty.

She was accompanied by three men in suits, two of them scanning their surroundings, while the third one stood right next to the redhead with a stern look on his face.

While they waited for the nurse to get the info, Ana nervously paced the hallway. After a few minutes though, her eyes landed on Luke's lady friend.( the redhead)

She took four steps in her direction and closed the gap between them." Baroness Catania, how can you be so calm?" Ana asked the redhead." Aren't you worried about Luke?"

At hearing that, the redhead gently placed a hand on Ana's arm." He'll be fine, Ana" she promised." And to answer your question, I _am_ worried about Mr. Sawyer... I'm just very good at masking my emotions, that's all. I've been doing that all my life..."

"I'm really scared, Baroness" Ana confessed, her voice trembling lightly, while tears pooled in her eyes.

"Don't be..." Catania replied, and grabbed Ana by her hand." Let's take a seat"

Ana shook her head at that." I cannot... I'm too nervous"

"Come now, you standing or pacing the hall won't make the nurse get the info faster" Luke's lady friend replied, and squeezed Ana's hand lightly.

At that, she took a deep breath and as she looked at Catania's calm, gorgeous face, Ana nodded.

They both took a seat in the waiting room, Catania's three bodyguards a few feet away, looking at their Baroness with watchful eyes.

"That was some fast and clever thinking, Ana... calling your friend Christian from the helicopter to warn him that Mr. Sawyer was in grave danger." Catania told Ana.

"Well, Christian was the first person I thought of" Ana whispered." I knew that as soon as I told him that our best friend was in danger, he'd make sure to send his people to protect Luke."

 ** _** Flashback**_**

 _The second she was seated in the helicopter with Baroness Catania, Ana immediately called Christian to warn him._

 _"Hello, Christian here" he said through the phone._

 _"Oh Thank God! Christian, I need you" Ana said, her voice sounding so relieved._

 _"Off course, Ana... what's wrong?" she heard him say from the other side of the line._

 _"It's Luke! Someone's trying to get him killed! Please, send your people to protect him in the hospital!" Ana blurted out in one single breath._

 _Without questioning her, Christian replied." Off course, I'll send Taylor and two other men... and I'll call the Police also"_

 _"I'm on my way... see you there" Ana said._

 _So that means that while Luke was being examined by Doctor Philips and nurse Clara, Christian already was informed by Ana that their best friend's life was in danger. That gave Christian time to send his security detail to protect Luke. So by the time the 'fake doctor' wanted to suffocate Luke with the pillow, Taylor and Christian's two other bodyguards stormed inside the hospital room with the security from the hospital and instantly prevented Luke from being harmed._

 _There was a huge fight between the men, because the 'fake doctor' was so freakishly strong. However, after six full minutes the strong thug finally was in hand cuffs._

 _While on her way to the hospital with Catania, Christian had called and informed Ana what had happened and that Luke wasn't harmed by the thug._

 ** _** End of flashback**_**

"Well, I see that you three have an unbreakable bond." Baroness Catania stated." You'd do anything for each other. Is that right?"

Ana locked eyes with Luke's lady friend and without hesitation she said." Yes, I'd do **_anything_ **for Christian and Luke... they're my best friends"

Catania nodded, and smiled.

And it was then, when Ana noticed Christian walking towards them.

Without a thought, Ana got up and stormed in his direction, almost knocking him over. She leaped into his arms and whispered." Christian"

He hugged Ana tightly, wishing she could stay in his arms forever.

While she was being enveloped by Christian's warm embrace, Ana asked." Where is he? Can we see him now? Is he OK?"

He smiled at hearing that and let out a deep breath." Luke is doing fine, Ana... and we can go see him, when the doctor is done examining him." he explained." Can you believe that Luke's harassing his female doctor right this minute?"

Ana reluctantly pulled away from the hug, and looked Christian in the eyes." Seriously?"

He nodded." Yup, as if he didn't almost die, he's joking around with Doctor Philips and asking her out."

Ana and Christian both burst out into a laughter." Luke Sawyer, always the charmer, even when on medication" she said, while shaking her head.

" _Especially_ , when on medication." Christian remarked.

From her seat, Baroness Catania, Luke's lady friend, watched the duo while a genuine smile played at her perfect painted, full lips.

She thought.' These two? They're _so_ meant to be.'

Ana was still laughing, when her eyes landed on the baroness." Oh Gosh! Baroness! I'm so sorry, I'm letting you wait" she said and walked over to Luke's lady friend.

"Christian, I'd like you to meet Baroness Catania. She's Luke's friend" Ana said, introducing the redhead to Christian.

"And Baroness, this is Christian Grey"

As the two shook hands, Catania said." It's nice to finally meet Mr. Sawyer's best friend"

Christian furrowed his brows." Luke told you about _me_?" he asked, very surprised." He didn't tell me about you, Baroness"

She replied with." Please, call me Catania... I'm not in my home country, you know."

"OK, Catania it is then." Christian replied with a smile on his face.

"Yes, Mr. Sawyer told me about you two... his two best friends since kindergarten." Catania replied.

"When was this exactly?" Ana asked curiously.

As a smile graced her face, Catania suggested." Why don't we take a seat? Then I can tell you two _all_ about five years ago, when I first met Mr. Sawyer in my home country... It was then, when he saved my father's life and mine."

At hearing that, Christian and Ana both looked very surprised.

"Luke did what?" Ana and Christian both said in unison.

That made Catania smile from ear to ear, her eyes sparkling like pretty stars.' I was right! These two are _so_ meant to be... they just have to be open with each other about everything that happened.'

"Five years ago... Luke was in Europe five years ago... this happened during that time?" Christian asked, while the wheels in his head turned like crazy.

Catania was just about to answer him, when they noticed Doctor Philips walking in their direction." Mr. Sawyer is fine, Mr. Grey." she announced.

"We can see him now?" Ana asked.

The doctor nodded and smiled." Yes, you can see him... but only for a few minutes, OK?" Doctor Philips replied." He's had enough excitement for the night"

She was referring to the thug who tried to suffocate him.

 **xxx [[[]]] xxx**

Ana stepped into the hospital room, and the moment her eyes locked onto Luke's, she hastily walked over to him and gave him a tight hug.

After a few seconds, they pulled away from their embrace." Oh God, I was scared out of my mind, Luke." Ana said, her lips trembling.

He smiled and grabbed her hand." I'm fine... I'm fine, Ana banana" he insisted.

Then Christian also walked into the room. Luke saw him and smiled widely." What? You really think I would leave you two behind, knowing that you still have unresolved... issues?" he openly teased Ana and Christian.

Ana shook her head at that, and said." Oh, yeah... I believe him, Christian. He's most definitely fine now"

Christian chuckled and gave Luke a quick hug." Damn right, bro. I know you wouldn't dare leave me behind with _her!"_ he joked, making Ana look at him with wide eyes.

"Seriously? Christian Grey is making a joke? And it involves me? Like... seriously?" Ana countered, and placed a hand over her heart.

While watching his two best friends, and hearing their banter, Luke all of a sudden had to swallow a huge lump in his throat.

His two best friends were communicating like they used to... teasing each other like nine years of separation didn't happen at all...

At a certain point Christian noticed the tears in Luke's eyes." Hey, what's wrong, buddy?"

Ana instantly looked at Luke and noticed the tears that rolled down his cheeks.

"What is it, Luke?!" She shouted, and grabbed his hand." What's the matter?! Are you in pain?"

Luke shook his head, and wiped away his tears. With much difficulty he replied." I uhmm... I'm just" he said and cleared his throat." I'm just so happy you two have set your differences aside and uhmmm... that you are here with me and are civil to each other."

As those words reached her ears, Ana got choked up too." So... uhmmm, these are happy tears?" she asked.

Luke nodded." Yes, they are."

Christian smiled and said." Well, way to go giving me a heart attack, Luke... I thought you were in pain or something."

Ana rolled her eyes at Christian, because she knew he was only saying that to hide his emotions.

After a few seconds, Luke squeezed her hand lightly and said." Ana, I think now it's time to tell him about... you know _who_. And the reason why there have been two attempts on my life up until now..."

She nodded at that." Yes, it is time." Ana replied.

Then her eyes darted towards Christian." You have to know something very important, Christian." Ana said, and grabbed his hand.

"OK, I'm listening." Christian said, while his heart hammered inside his chest, wondering what it is she and Luke wanted to tell him.

"Christian, dangerous people want to kill Luke, because he found out that..." Ana began, but was cut off by a loud knock on the hospital room door.

"Sorry, you three. But my patient needs his rest now... he's had enough excitement for the night." the nurse said, her voice stern.

At that, Ana placed a hand over her mouth, gasping softly." Catania... we've forgotten all about Baroness Catania, Christian! She's still waiting outside the room."

Ana immediately got up, and walked over to the nurse." I have a big favor to ask, Nurse." Ana said, and looked at the older woman pleadingly.

"What is it?" she asked, giving Ana a serious look.

"We will leave right now, but _please_ there is a Baroness waiting in the hall... she's come all the way from Spain and just needs to see your patient for just one minute." Ana explained.

The nurse shook her head." No! She can see him tomorrow." the older woman replied firmly.

At that, Luke locked eyes with the older woman." Please, _please_ Nurse Clara? I haven't seen her in so many years" he confessed.

"No, you need rest, Mr. Sawyer." the nurse said and shook her head.

The older woman attempted to stand her ground, but Luke gave her a very sad look.

"Please? You won't deny me something this small, right? Just one minute, you can time it if you want?" Luke said smoothly, while giving her a heart warming smile.

At that, the older woman caved." Fine, exactly 60 seconds... is that clear?" She demanded." Her time begins now."

Luke smiled, and said." Thank you so much, my dear... you're the best."

Ana and Christian walked out the room, so the gorgeous, redhead Catania could see Luke. (For exactly 60 seconds)

 ** _~ At Christian's villa ~_**

At the moment, Ana was looking at her own reflection in the mirror.

"Man, I look like shit." she mumbled and hastily grabbed a towel from the closet.

 **** Flashback****

 _After Catania had seen and spoken to Luke for one whole minute, she told Ana and Christian that she'll be staying at a hotel._

 _Like they were her shadows, Catania's security detail followed her every move. And that of others off course..._

 _"My cellphone number is on here."_

 _She had given both Ana and Christian her card._

 _"Please call me tomorrow, so we can have lunch together and discuss the safest place for Mr. Sawyer." The red haired Baroness told Ana and Christian." In my opinion, he's safest in my home country, but I'd like to know what you two think."_

 _Ana nodded, and Christian said." Off course, we'll see you tomorrow, Catania..."_

 _The red haired Baroness nodded at that, and replied." Tomorrow"_

 _She was already walking away, but then she stopped in her tracks and walked back towards Ana and Christian._

 _"Is everything alright?" Ana asked worriedly, the moment Catania stood in front of the two of them._

 _"About Mr. Sawyer spending the night in the same hospital... you know, where he was attacked, are you sure that..." the Baroness began, but Ana gently cut her off._

 _"Catania, you don't have to worry... he's in safe hands for the night." Ana promised, and lightly placed a hand on her upper arm." Christian's security detail will protect him with their life... plus, the Police also sent an officer to keep watch."_

 _The Baroness still had her doubts about it, and hesitated._

 _At seeing that, Christian insisted." My men and I won't let anything bad happen to him, I promise you, Catania."_

 _As those words reached her ears, Catania nodded. She wasn't fully convinced, but because Luke trusted his two best friends with his life, she trusted them too._

 _"OK." the gorgeous redhead replied, and nodded._

 _Ana locked eyes with her, and asked." Are you sure? Will you be able to get a few hours of sleep? Cause we all need it, you know..."_

 _At hearing that, Catania took in a deep breath and let it out slowly." I'm sorry, Mr Grey... I don't mean to doubt the Police or your men's abilities, but it's just..." She started, and then attempted to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat. Then she continued." It's just that Mr. Sawyer not only saved my father's life and mine, he also saved a bunch of my people... So, you can understand how much that means to my father and me and that uhmm... I want, I need to make sure that he won't be harmed again."_

 _Christian listened and understood her completely." Don't you worry, Baroness... my men will make sure no one gets close enough to hurt him..."_

 _Finally, she looked convinced and said." Good to know."_

 ** _** End of Flashback**_**

Ana was taken out of her thoughts by a soft knock on the bathroom door." Ana, are you done?" she heard Christian say from the other side of the door.

"Yes, I'm done here" She replied and let out a deep breath.

Ana was exhausted, and wanted nothing more than her bed right now. But first, she wanted to get things off of her chest.

So many things. Firstly, she wanted to tell Christian that he had a daughter and that Luke was almost killed, because of it.

That's why she told Christian to bring her to his place, so she could tell him everything.

And with everything, she meant _everything_...

After she had washed and dried off her face, Ana walked to the closet and grabbed a white dress. It was Mia's; she left a bunch of clothes at

Christian's, because she sometimes spent the weekends at his place. The reason she did that?

Well, mainly because Mia didn't want her big brother to spend the weekends all alone in his huge villa without company...

 _"You can wear anything from the closet" Christian said to her._

 _"Won't she mind?" Ana asked._

 _"No, she won't" he simply said._

After Ana had pulled the dress over her head, she tied her locks in a messy bun.

Satisfied that she didn't look like shit any longer, Ana cleared her throat. She decided at that moment that it was time to come clean to Christian.

She opened the door and walked through the hall until she reached the living room.

Christian was there, sitting on the couch in front of the fire place with a glass in his right hand.

"Hey." Ana said, and smiled at him.

He locked eyes with her, and for a few seconds he silently admired Ana.

'She looked just like I remembered... just like all those years ago.' was what swirled around his head.

For a few moments, Christian felt as if time stood still.

He'd like to pretend that Ana never left and he never had to marry Leila...

"So... are you drinking without me?" Ana asked after a few moments.

Christian immediately got up from his seat, and walked over to the bar.

While waiting for her drink, Ana looked around the living room. It was very modern, something she liked a lot.

"Here you go, Ana..." she heard Christian say.

"Thank you" she replied and accepted the glass.

Christian took a seat next to Ana, and took a swig from his own drink.

As a sigh escaped her lips, she locked eyes with him.

"You wanted to tell me something very important?" Christian asked.

"Yes, I do." Ana replied, her voice shaky, while she avoided his gaze.

She was afraid for his reaction...

"What is it, Ana? Is this about why you left nine years ago?" Christian asked.

Ana shook her head." It's about uhmmm, well. Luke and I, we found out something recently. And when he found out about _her_ , someone tried to kill him by tampering with the brakes of his car..."

Christian shook his head, not understanding what she was trying to say." But why?! And who are you talking about? Luke found out about who? And why was that person the reason why they want Luke dead?" he asked in one breath.

"I'm talking about your daughter." She blurted out." You have a little girl, Christian..."

As those words reached his ears, he got up from the couch and paced the living room.

"But how?" he said and locked eyes with her, after a few moments.

Ana also got up and replied." I don't know... how don't **_you_ **know that you have a daughter?" she asked, and looked at him questioningly." I just found out myself a few days ago."

Christian let out a deep breath and said." No... I mean _how_ do you and Luke know about Savannah."

As that name tumbled from Christian's lips, it was her turn to be shocked." Oh my God... But how do _you_ know about little Savannah?" Ana asked, her eyes almost popping out.

It was in that moment, when he held his hands up and said." OK, OK... I know things and you know things. We must tell each other everything we know about Savannah. Just let us compare notes, shall we?"

Ana agreed on that." Yes, we shall and we'll do it now... not tomorrow, but now." she remarked.

Christian nodded and said." I agree, because I _really_ need to find my little girl, Ana..."

He then took a seat on the couch again and drank the last bit from his glass.

Ana sighed deeply and took a seat in a chair across from him." Christian, I uhmm... before we start, I'd like to uhmm... I'd like to say that I'm sorry about your wife."

As those words tumbled from her lips, he felt a gnawing pain in his heart. Till this day, it still hurt him immensely that Ana didn't come to the funeral.

Till this day it still pained him that his friend, that his Ana didn't come to console him, when he needed her the most.

"Thank you, Ana..."

While looking at him, she tried with all her might to push back her tears." I never meant to hurt you, Christian... but at the time I had no choice." she confessed, her lips trembling heavily.

" I believe you, Ana... I do." Christian replied." I know you... before you were my girl, you were my friend first... so, yeah. I believe that you thought you didn't have a choice. But that doesn't mean it hurts any less..."

As a lonely tear rolled down her cheek, Ana's eyes fluttered shut.

Christian sat quietly in his seat, and locked eyes with Ana, the moment she opened them.

"I..." she began, but stopped when she heard a phone ring loudly.

It was Christian's.

"Excuse me, Ana." he said, and got up to grab his phone from the coffee table.

"Christian speaking."

"You need to come here right away, Christian!" he heard his mom say from the other side of the line.

From the sound of it, she was crying and most definitely was panicking at the moment.

He furrowed his brows and asked." Mom... mom, please calm down and explain what's the matter."

"It's your father, Christian... he's talking some nonsense about the Russian mob and a little girl whose name is Savannah... He's scaring me, Christian!" he heard his mom say through the phone.

"OK, OK. Try to stay calm, mom... I'm gonna come right over." he replied.

Then Grace said." Christian, wait! I think uhmm... I think he's gonna try and hurt himself. He had a gun in his hand a minute ago and now he's locked himself up in the study..."

* * *

 **Note: OMG.**

 **So... tell me what you think of the chapter?**

 **Leave me a review, short or long? ;)**

Thank you in advance, you all.

 **HAPPY HOLIDAYS, you all! ;)**

And also thank you for reading and reviewing. :)

You totally ROCK! ;)

Till the next one,

 **J**


	7. I'll only speak with my son

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fifty Shades Trilogy**

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

 **I'll only speak with my son**

xxx [[[]]] xxx

* * *

 _"OK, OK. Try to stay calm, mom... I'm gonna come right over." he replied._

 _Then Grace said." Christian, wait! I think uhmm... I think he's gonna try and hurt himself. He had a gun in his hand a minute ago and now he's locked himself up in the study..."_

As those words reached his ears, it made Christian's skin crawl. "Mom, stay where you are, OK?" he said into the phone." Taylor and I are coming over right away"

During the phone call, Ana had watched and listened to Christian, and noticed that something was very wrong. His voice was trembling heavily, and his face had turned pale at one point.

The second he ended the conversation with his mother, Ana got up from her seat." Christian, what is it?" she questioned, while a worried look was plastered on her pretty face.

"I've gotta go, Ana" he replied." You can stay here till I get back."

"What?" Ana remarked and shook her head fiercely." I'm going with you"

With that, she grabbed her bag and was already walking in the direction of the stairs." What are you waiting for Christian?"

"Ana, you should stay here... don't be so stubborn!" Christian exclaimed, and walked with huge strides after her, while calling Taylor.

They both walked down the stairs, and when they reached the front door, he gently grabbed Ana's wrist." Ana? Listen to me... please"

She looked up at him, and gave him a questioning look." What is it?"

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going where you are going, Christian" she pointed out." Just like I used to"

He shook his head, and softly said." No... you cannot come with me... I need you to stay here, I need you unharmed"

It was then, when Taylor walked up to the two of them." The limo is ready, sir... I've also informed the Police about the situation, and they're already on their way to your parents' house."

"Thank you... give me a sec, will you Taylor?"

"Of course, sir" he replied.

The moment Taylor was out of earshot, Ana fired the next questions at Christian." The Police?! What's going on? Is your mom OK? Is she hurt?!"

Ana was terrified at that moment, her heart thumping wildly against her chest, wondering who wanted to harm Grace.

In response, Christian grabbed Ana lightly on her upper arms, and locked eyes with her." I need you to stay here, Ana... my dad has a gun and I have to find a way to get through to him... I don't know what will happen... All I know is that I need you to stay here, so you cannot get hurt in any way... I don't think I could handle that" he confessed, his voice trembling slightly, while choking up.

As those words reached her ears, tears began to pool in Ana's eyes, her throat closing up." But what about you? Huh? Y... you say you can't bear it if I got hurt... but what if YOU get hurt? Christian? What then?"

Christian knew at that moment that she wasn't going to back down… Ana was too stubborn for it.

He sighed deeply, and grabbed her by the hand. "Fine, Ana... let's go." Christian replied, and walked hastily towards the limo with her hand still in his.

xxx

Approximately twenty minutes later, they arrived at the mansion. There were two Police cars in the driveway, an ambulance, and a bunch of cops outside and inside the house.

The moment Christian and Ana stepped out the limo, the Detective in charge walked up to them.

Taylor stood next to Christian, and scanned the surroundings, and kept a watchful eye at everyone.

"Mr. Grey… evening, sir." Detective Evans said, and shook Christian's hand.

"Hi Detective" he replied, while looking around the premises." Detective, tell me. How's the situation? And where's my mother?!"

Evans cleared his throat, and then looked over at the house." Well, we're not sure, Mr. Grey."

As those words reached Christian's ear, his eyes widened, while he gave detective Evans a furious look." What the fuck does that even mean, Detective?!" He spat, his voice thundering loudly in the night, making the other Police officers and EMT personnel look over at the two.

"Sir, we arrived at the scene ten minutes earlier than you. My colleagues immediately went upstairs to try to make contact with your father by calling him. The negotiator is posted near the study right now... They were able to find it easily, because the head of your security detail had given us precise instructions." Evans explained." At the same time two of my officers have searched for your mother, but there's no trace of her anywhere, Sir"

Ana watched in horror, as "dark clouds" had formed above Christian's head.

He was extremely pissed, and stormed inside the mansion." Fucking useless!" he growled, and strode passed two Police officers.

"Mr. Grey! You cannot enter the house!" Evans shouted, and followed Christian inside.

However, Christian was seething and didn't even look back.

"Ana, stay here… we don't know if Carrick has grabbed Grace" Taylor told her, while placing a hand on her upper arm." It could get very dangerous and things could escalate very quickly… it's safer here, cause we don't know how desperate Carrick is and what he's capable of"

She understood what he meant, and nodded, while feeling as if she wanted to throw up. All kinds of emotions washed over her whole being, but fear had the upper hand."OK, I'll stay"

Oh God! Will Christian's father hurt his wife and then himself?!

No… Tears had spilled from her eyes, as those horrific thoughts bounced inside her skull, her throat closing up.

Taylor was satisfied with her answer, and was already walking towards the house, when Ana stopped him." Wait!"

He stopped in his tracks, and gave her a questioning look." Yes?"

Ana cleared her throat, and whispered." Please, make sure no one gets hurt"

Taylor nodded, and said." I'll do my very best"

He then disappeared into the mansion, and went up the stairs.

 _ **~ Minutes later ~**_

As Christian frantically searched for his mom in the huge mansion, his mind went on overdrive, his heart contracting in his chest.

Fuck! He shouldn't have left his mom with his dad! He should've seen this coming... he should've anticipated it and God, he should've done so much more!

"Mr. Grey?" he heard a voice say all of a sudden.

It was one of the uniformed Police officers who was helping him with the search for his mother.

"Yes, Tucker?" Christian replied, his face pale.

"Detective Evans wants you upstairs, sir." the officer announced." I've just spoken to him on my walkie-talkie."

Christian swallowed hard, and let out a deep breath." What is it?" he questioned, his heart beating a hundred miles an hour.

Officer Tucker avoided his gaze for a second, and cleared his throat." We've received confirmation that Mrs. Grace Grey is indeed in the study with your father, sir"

As those words reached Christian's ear, he literally could feel how his heart dropped inside his chest.

"He's asking for you, Sir... your father." Tucker told Christian." Let's go"

While swallowing the huge lump that had formed in his throat, Christian clenched his hands into fists, and ordered himself to keep it together.

With excessive speed, Christian strode up the stairs and ended up in the hall in record time.

"Detective Evans... I'm here, what do you need me to do? Has he threatened to hurt my mom?" he said in one breath, his voice trembling slightly.

Evans walked over to Christian, carrying a bullet proof vest." Wear this now" he demanded." Then we'll talk."

After a few minutes, Evans took Christian aside." Your father is mentally unstable right now... my colleagues and I have tried talking to him, but he keeps hanging up the phone. Five minutes ago, he called us and demanded for you to go inside the study." he explained." He wants only you inside, without your security detail"

"No" they both heard a voice say.

It was Taylor.

"I won't allow it... Mr. Grey, I understand that you have to do this. It's your mother in there with that maniac, but sir... I cannot protect you if I'm out here." Taylor countered." I cannot let you do this, sir"

Taylor was looking at his boss with pleading eyes."Please, let me go in also"

Evans shook his head at that." Need I remind you that we don't know what Carrick Grey is planning? What if he hurts his wife and then himself?! We have to be careful and not set him off" he insisted." Fortunately the negotiator has gotten through to him a little. Carrick has agreed to let one officer in, as long as his son Christian is with him."

Christian placed a hand on Taylor's upper arm, and looked him straight in the eyes ." I need to do this, Taylor. There's no one else." he told him." If something happens to me, look out for my sister and... Ana, will you?"

As he said those words, Christian felt so powerless and defeated.

"Sir! No, don't" Taylor said, refusing to let his boss go.

"Hey, I'm not helpless you know... you've taught me well, Taylor... I'm also a very good fighter, r'member?" Christian reminded him, attempting to lighten up the gloomy mood." Plus, I'm not going in alone."

With that, Christian turned to face Detective Evans." I'm ready, Detective."

"OK, let's do this"

After giving Christian explicit instructions on what to do and what _not_ to do or say, while in the study with his father, Evans made a call to Carrick Grey, informing him that Christian and a Police officer were ready to come inside the study.

 ** _~ Meanwhile ~_**

Ana had taken a seat on one of the benches in the garden, and waited. She waited and waited and also had asked the Police officers for an update on the situation, but no one wanted to tell her anything.

At the moment, she was terrified, exhausted, hungry, thirsty and cold. However, she wasn't allowed to go inside the mansion, and she sure as hell didn't want to leave. That didn't even cross her mind. Ana had to stay...

'Everything will be OK' she repeated those words in her head, while shivering all over. 'Christian will be fine... he's strong and can handle himself… always has'

 _When he was 12 years old, Carrick had brought Christian to a martial arts school so his son could learn the art of fighting and with it, he also had learned how to be in control of his temper. Because of the training that lasted years, he also had developed nerves of steel._

 _By the time Christian was 17, he had earned the black belt and was qualified to teach martial arts. When he was 18, he discovered the world of kick- boxing, and that's when Christian learned to fight harder and became a force to be reckoned with._

Ana kept that in mind, to assure herself that Christian could indeed handle himself in any situation that life would throw at him.

Karate had taught him to be in control of his temper, and kick boxing had taught him to be savage if he needed to be.

So, Ana truly believed that he was going to be OK. YES, Christian was going to be perfectly fine...

"I think you need this, Miss."

Ana was taken out of her thoughts by a voice.

She looked up, and came face to face with a sympathetic face." I'm sorry, but who are you?"

"I'm Henry, and I work for Mr. Christian Grey." he announced, and gently shoved a warm coat and a bottle of water in Ana's hands.

She gave him a small smile in response, and thanked the man.

While Ana and Henry waited impatiently outside for things to unfold, Christian and the Police officer were already inside the study.

"Close and lock the door now!" they both heard Carrick say, his voice shaky.

As soon as the door was locked, Christian looked at their surroundings. The always neat and clean study was a total mess! Books and boxes were on the floor, papers and folders were spread all over his father's desk, and Christian even saw a shredder on a chair, and shredded paper all over the floor.

'What the fuck is going on here?' he thought, and then Christian heard Officer Price speak.

"Mr. Grey, I've brought you your son, just like you asked... so now, can we see Mrs. Grey? How is she?"

Carrick had a revolver in his hand and pointed it at Price." YOU, shut the fuck up! I'll only speak with my son"

His voice thundered through the study, and that's when Christian decided to act.

"Dad, what are you doing? What the hell is going on here? Huh? Where's mom?" he said, and slowly walked towards his father.

"She's fine! Your mom is fine! But I'm not! And yet you come here and the first thing you ask is about your mom!" Carrick shouted, his eyes filled with rage and utter disgust, tears pooling in them." You were always _HER_ son! We used to have a strong bond, you and I, but she stole you from me!"

Christian swallowed hard, his heart bleeding. His father looked a total mess. The always clean shaven, good looking Carrick Grey has definitely hit rock bottom.

He had a huge gash above his right eye brow, his left eye was swollen and his lip was cut open, dried blood still visible.

That must be the result of his altercation with the Russian mob, a few hours earlier.

Tears were pooling in Christian's eyes, his heart sinking, while observing his father...

Carrick was at the end of his rope, and in his eyes Christian saw someone who has given it all up.

"Da... dad, please... calm down. Just let me see mom." he said, while attempting to keep his emotions in check.

Detective Evans had placed a camera on Christian's clothes, and made him wear a wire, so he and the negotiator were able to see and hear everything that happened in the study.

Christian also was wearing an ear bud, so he said only what the negotiator told him to.

"Fine! You wanna see her so badly?! Fine, Christian! My first born" Carrick yelled, and walked over to the other side of the spacious study.

Christian watched, as his father dragged his mom so they could see her.

"Christian" Grace sobbed, her whole body shaking heavily.

"Mom, everything's gonna be alright. OK?" Christian promised, his eyes locked onto hers." We're gonna be fine"

His mom nodded, and frantically began wiping away her tears.

"What do you want, dad? Tell me what you want, and we'll do it. In return, can you please let mom go?" Christian said, his voice breaking.

It pained him so much that it had come to this. He loved his parents so much, and the past years the bond with his mother had gotten stronger─ Just like Carrick had pointed out, while his relationship with his father had gone sour until they only spoke when necessary.

But that was, because his dad began to act weird towards him, and Christian never knew why.

It started right before Ana left, years ago...

"Please, d... dad. Let mom go with Officer Price, so you and I can talk privately." he said." That's what you want, right?"

"Mr. Grey! What the hell are you doing?! Don't do it! That's not the plan!" Christian heard Evans shout into his ear bud, but he ignored the detective.

"What are you doing, Mr. Grey?!" Officer Price said in a calm manner." Stop this immediately."

At that, Carrick walked over to the middle of the study and pointed the gun at officer Price..." YOU, shut the fuck up!"

Christian had closed the gap between him and his father, and kept insisting." Let mom go, so you and I can talk... let me help you, please"

Carrick shook his head and groaned, while placing his left hand on his forehead." No… you just want to trick me!" he shouted, while hitting himself continuously on his fore head.

"Dad, calm down… let us find a solution to your problems… come on, it can't be that bad" Christian insisted, while he took one step closer to his father, while his heart rammed against his chest.

"Stay back!" Carrick shouted, and then he took two steps back." It is _that_ bad, my son… I see no way out." He remarked, his voice soft, while looking straight at Christian.

"There's always a solution for anything" Christian replied." Let mom go with officer Price."

"Mr. Grey, do not trade yourself with your mother! Grey!" Christian heard Evans through his ear bud and also Price say, but he totally ignored them.

Carrick nodded at one point." Fine, she can go! You will stay!" he demanded.

Relieved that his father wanted to do it, Christian nodded." Good, let's do this… then we can come up with a solution for you"

Grace was still standing in her spot, looking disheveled, her mascara running down her face, as tears spilled from her eyes, terrified of her own husband.

"Christian" she whispered, and shook her head." Don't"

Grace was shaking all over, and was afraid. However, to her nothing was more terrifying than her son getting hurt.

And God, she was so afraid that her husband might hurt their son, even if it was accidentally.

"Grey! Listen to me! Don't trade places with your mother! Grey, stop this madness!" Detective Evans yelled and cursed through the ear bud, but instead of doing as instructed, Christian grabbed the ear bud and threw it on the floor.

He walked over to his mom and grabbed her hand." Mom, come on... you need to go now." he said, his voice trembling heavily.

"Christian, no!" she tried, but he led her towards officer Price anyway.

"Mr. Grey, please don't do this! Do not trade places!" Price shouted at one point.

Instead of listening to him, Christian said." Go... please, bring my mom to safety... I beg of you."

Grace shook her head, and sobbed." No, no Christian" she said, and began tugging at her hand, making Christian let go of her.

"Will you shut up, woman!" they all heard Carrick yell, while pointing the gun at Grace.

"Dad!" Christian exclaimed, while his hands trembled." Don't!"

After that, everything turned into chaos, the whole situation escalating, and there was no one in the world who could've prevented what happened next.

"If the target is a threat, you should take him out!" Price heard Evans shout into his ear bud.

In just three seconds, officer Price made an assessment of the situation and acted. Carrick was distracted by Christian and Grace, so Price grabbed his gun and aimed it at the target.

"Put your weapon down!" Price shouted, and cocked his gun." I will shoot you, Carrick Grey!"

Christian watched in horror, as Price aimed at his dad, while his dad aimed the gun at his mom.

He didn't want anyone to get hurt, so he took a step and shielded his mom from Carrick and his gun.

His father all of a sudden smiled and whispered." Good luck, son… good bye" and slowly brought the gun to his own head.

However, Christian knew then and there what he was about to do, so he leaped at his father, being a seasoned martial arts master.

As they both struggled on the floor, Grace sobbed and watched the two, so terrified that she froze at her spot.

Price wanted to shoot, but didn't have a clean shot.

It went by so fast, Carrick and Christian struggling for the gun.

But in the next moment, they all heard an ear- deafening sound...

"Nooooo!" Christian shouted, as he noticed his mother sinking to the floor.

"Christian" was the word that tumbled from her pale lips, a tear rolling down her cheek.

One second later, another shot was fired!

Oh God! Price had shot Carrick right in the chest…

 ** _~ Meanwhile outside the mansion ~_**

When the first shot was fired, Ana jumped up from her seat.

"Oh God! Christian…" She said, and stormed straight towards the front door of the mansion.

"Ana! Don't!" she heard Henry shout at her, but she pushed forward.

Police officers, firemen and paramedics rushed to the scene, all of them hastily moving towards the study.

In the chaos, Ana was able to slip passed the Police officers and detectives.

In a blink she ran up the stairs, and when she finally arrived at the scene, Ana stopped in her tracks…

From a short distance, she saw how the paramedics hoisted Grace up and gently placed her on the stretcher, her white dress all bloody...

Tears instantly spilled from Ana's eyes, her hands shaking, while looking at Grace's pale face.

And then her eyes landed on a body on the floor, covered with a white blanket.

Well, after a few moments that blanket turned red also.

The second her eyes landed on Christian, Ana's heart dropped…

He was sitting on the floor, tears spilling from his eyes, both his hands and his light blue T- shirt bloody…

Taylor stood by him, and was attempting to get Christian on his feet, but he refused, while staring at the body that was lying motionless on the floor.

"Christian…" Ana uttered, and was just about to walk over to them, when one of the Police officers noticed her and grabbed her by the arm.

"You cannot be here." He stated, and dragged her away.

"No..." She protested, and tugged hard on her arm, so the man had no choice but to let her go.

"Miss!" he scolded her, and was about to drag her away once more, when Detective Evans saw the duo argue.

"She can stay" Evans ordered.

"Thank you, detective." She said, while wiping away her tears.

"The coroner will arrive soon… can you get _him_ to leave the room?" Evans asked Ana, referring to Christian, his voice a mere whisper.

She nodded, and slowly walked over to Christian and Taylor.

Her eyes landed first on Taylor.

"He doesn't want to get up, Ana" his bodyguard said in a helpless manner." You try."

Ana let out a deep breath, and swallowed the huge lump that had formed in her throat. "Christian, please… can you get up?" She questioned, while grabbing him gently on his upper arm.

At first, he didn't react. However, a few moments later, he looked up at Ana, dazed and confused, his face white as a sheet." He confessed… my fa─ before he died, my father confessed something horrible about Lei─ Leila." Christian began, but was unable to continue.

Ana gently cupped his face, and whispered." Let's go… Please, get up and then we can talk"

The three of them silently walked away from the scene, letting the coroner and the detectives do their job.

* * *

 _ **~ Several hours later… around 9 in the morning ~**_

With a blank expression on his face, Christian sat behind his desk at home, and traced his thumb over a small object.

He had called the office, and announced that he would be taking a few weeks of.

After he had ended the phone conversation, Christian sat motionless in his chair, thinking about everything that happened.

 _After he, Taylor and Ana had left his parent's house, Christian ordered Taylor to drive immediately to the hospital._

 _Grace was in critical condition, and was in surgery._

 _Ana had called Mia and Kate immediately, and within twenty minutes the two had joined them at the hospital._

 _Mia was inconsolable..._

 _The five of them stayed in the waiting room of the hospital for three and a half hours, till Grace was out of surgery._

 _The surgeon had told them that the surgery was rather successful. There was a big chance his mom will make it._

 _Christian was relieved, when he heard the news and asked if he and Mia could see his mom. However, the doctor declined, telling him that Grace needed the rest._

 _ **"Come tomorrow, late in the afternoon" Doctor Latrell insisted." Not earlier, is that clear?"**_

And now here he was, alone in his office at home, pondering till his head felt like it wanted to explode.

As his eyes fluttered shut, Christian felt a sharp and agonizing pain shoot right through his heart and soul…

Within a few hours, he had lost his father and his mom was in critical condition in the hospital.

And not only that, but before he died, Carrick confessed something awful about Leila.

" _She didn't com… commit su─ suicide, Christian… she was murdered by Vla─ Vladimir" his father had said._

As those words rang inside his head, Christian felt his skin crawl…

'Why? Why did he have to kill her?' he thought, while massaging his temples with his fingers.

Christian had never been in love with Leila… hell, he never loved her, but he had gotten used to her in time.

She was mentally unstable, and seemed to love him, but the feelings weren't mutual at all.

But no matter how crazy she was, Leila did not deserve to be murdered by that monster…

"Hey" he heard a familiar voice say, taking him out of his thoughts.

It was Ana.

As he opened his eyes, Christian saw her standing on the threshold of the door.

"Hey" he replied, and sat up straight in his chair." Were you able to get some rest? How's Mia doing?"

Ana shrugged, and gave him a sad look." Not really… I couldn't fall asleep. But Mia is sleeping right now, finally..." she replied, her voice trembling.

"Did you rest at all, Christian?"

He shook his head." Nope, couldn't either"

"What do you have in your hand there, Christian?" Ana questioned, while closing the gap between them, her brows furrowed." What are you hiding?"

He shook his head, and traced his fingers over the phone.

"Who's is it, Christian? Is it…" she began, and stopped mid-sentence, her eyes wide.

"Yeah, it's my dad's… before he died, he shoved it in my hands" he explained." So I put it in my pocket I guess… was too shocked"

"Did you find any clues in it?" she asked curiously." Shouldn't you hand it over to Detective Evans?"

"I know that I should give it to Evans, but I want Henry to crack it first." he replied." I wasn't able to open some files."

"Give it to me... Maybe I can try." she said, and sat across from him." Detective Evans expect you to go to the Precinct today, r…?"

He didn't let Ana finish though. "There's a video in it, Ana" Christian confessed, his eyes watering, his voice trembling, while his throat closed up.

"A video?" Ana asked carefully, while her heart rammed against her rib-cage." What kind of video?"

Christian took a deep breath, and locked eyes with her." It's a video of my daughter… my little girl, Savannah"

* * *

 **Note: Oh My God...**

That was the new chapter, you all. :)

Next, we will find out how Sawyer saved Baronnes Catania and her people. Plus, we will see more of Ana and Christian's journey into finding

his daughter Savannah.

Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! :)

Please leave me a review, short or long?

;)

Till the next one,

xoxo

J


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